hardy1943

Another abserdity of Abhisit administration. Government now has already has more men ready to use force on the red shirts, and at extra pay.

All of this can be avoided.

Why is the Elite so scared of a true election 1 vote per Thai???

As a non-Thai - I am not allowed to vote. Poll nullified based on this technicality.

So Thai are not allowed to vote either.

All they want 1 vote per person.Why is the Elite so scared of that?

What a difference twenty-four hours makes. This time yesterday the total number of red shirts in BKK at each of the six meeting points was reported as being woefully low (well less than 10,000 ).

Now with intelligence reporting that there has been a massive increase in numbers over the last twenty-four hours the government - or sources close to it - are reporting that a state of emergency may be declared sometime tomorrow on top of the ISA.

It's still a peaceful demonstration. Up to now there have been absolutely NO reports of violence.

What are the government scared of? Numbers.

NO, a fair 1 vote per person election

About 500 red shirts in Pathum Thani had to hire buses to get to Bangkok after more than 10 boats they hired return deposits, saying the Harbour Department told them their licences would be revoked if they helped transport the reds to the capital.

It does not sound like the redshirts are the ones at fault here.

Media is bias we all know that

Why is the elite afraid to hold an election???

We know that too.

I have never seen any mass demonstration in which roads were not blocked. It would be the very first in the world. The statement about the airports is absurd. The only people who blocked those could be found within the government itself and nobody has been punished for it Assuming that other Thai people are as badly mannered as the yellow shirts is an insult towards the Thai people in general.

Don't you find it a little strange 15,000 Yellow shirt at the airport,then 2 month later 15,000 cushy Government jobs where created

for life.I am telling you they are really screwing up the system.

I been already warned by this forum here is run by Yellow shirt lovers , so I better sip my mouth.

Confidence in Thailand as a"safe destination " is disappearing quickly,the problem is that :

at this moment we neither know how bad nor how long this situation will last.

The only short-term hope is slash prices air/hotels to encourage tourists,but we will just have to wait & see how much damage there is and when is the best time to produce more long term strategies.

My experience in Thailand tells me that the tourism venues & traps will, in reaction to the tourist slump, RAISE PRICES! Greed reigns supreme in this country. The tourism thugs are constantly shooting themselves in the foot and blaming everyone else for their moronic and irrational behavior.

That is typical Thai mentallity.What gets me they do think we are stupid.

We all come back to get screwed some more from them

Thailand is rapidly becoming a NO GO TOURIST ZONE -- surrounding countries will be jumping with glee at the potential boost in tourist they will get from all the trouble and strife in the LOS -- this used to be the prime destination - but not any more -- the beaches in the south of Vietnam have as much and the whole country has more to offer if only they can develop their tourism infrastructure -- and then even Cambodia -- lovely coast line -- again lacking tourism facilities -- but sure that will come --- all tourists are really concerned with is safety and security and after the events of the past two years with airport closures and the events over songkran last year -- well nuff said -

I found the locals there extremly friendly,the TV heck of alot less bias,as a communist country found it more open in there thinking and the people 100 times more educated.I just loved it there.

Goverment running scared and basic attack on human rights...

Sounds like a DICTORSHIP?

Another mainstream English language daily newspaper had a report on the same thing that was different in a couple crucial areas. The Nation just seems to again be instigating hatred of the entire Red movement. News at 11.

I been calling them fishwrappers for almost all my life that is expecially true in Thailand I understand their News on TV is just as bias

What happens if the Burmese claim asylum?

What is sparking this apparent crack down?

Less illegal workers means more job opportunities/higher salaries for Thai nationals.

Keep on dreaming the Thai Elite will keep that boot right on their neck while laying on the ground with their face in the dirt.

gadzeus, send it up here to northernmost Thailand! everything's as dry as tinder.

Have not had a drop at my house in Muang Chiang Rai sine September

Jingthing I take offence ....... well maybe not too much.

I think a lot of Thai's want to live in a different country but once they have been there a while I think they miss home (Thailand) it also depends on the age.

Maybe so, but they all want a foreign education.

Let be frank no one ever come here to get one .

Us Farang get one for free and the Riff Off and treating as like criminals from Government employees gets worse every year

I think they are playing a very wierd game of creating panic,the government that is.

The reds have openly stating their goal is to topple the current and totally legitimate government by any means needed. Panic isn't good. Defense is. Get real, the red threats are real.

The current govenment created 15,000 extra life long cushy jobs

for the reward of 15,000 demonstrator of the airport

I do not of 1 Thai that ever voted voted for that elite..........

To be honest the banking fees in Thailand are pretty low at least compared to Holland and the US. The only 2 real strange fees are the 150baht foreign atm card fee and the 600 baht incoming foreign T/T fee.

Apparently you never belonged to a credit union in the US mine Cascade Federal never charged me nothing for the last ten years.I can charge things in Thailand NO EXTRA CHARGES .........THAI BANKS ARE A RIPP OFF

After approx. 20 visits over the last 2-3 years I am surprised it is that high !

On my last trip in mid-Jan I was in the Immigration hall for over 1.5 hrs.

Why didn't they just copy Changi ? (or AMS for that matter).

Londo

I prefer going in and out of Jakarta - and I never thought I would say that.

I agree every time it is getting worse, last time it was like returning to LA La land , could not even stamp my multi entry visa gave me tourist visa instead only have 6 yearly visas in my passport.

I tend to be a supporter of the red shirts, but Animatic has made some good points in one of the posts. I also fail to see the great fear in another coup, since basically the country is under the control of the military--to a greater or lesser extent.

What is essential is that at some point in the near future, the country return to some semblance of democracy and that includes elections. Right now, there is too much politicing and not enough attention to the core needs of a democratic society. If they have elections which are fair, then I don't really care too much who wins. They will have the mandate of the people and the country can begin to move forward.

Thailand never was a true Democracy and never will be.

Why all this fuss Military been running this contry 99%of the time.

Update:

ATTACK ON PM'S RESIDENCE

A man detained

BANGKOK: -- A man, 30, was detained on suspicion of throwing excrement into the home of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on February 1, Metropolitan Police Zone 5 chief Colonel Sombat Milinthachinda said on Friday.

The man appears to be mentally challenged and is undergoing the police questioning, he said, adding assistant national police chief Lt General Aswin Kwanmuang was present when the man gave his statement.

-- The Nation 2010-02-12

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

Is this the headline new? Welcome to LALA LAND

Wow, what a huge diatribe against a female dominated, citizen movement to regain some semblance of Democracy. To restore Electoral Democracy where all citizens have equal access to the voting booth, and where all can expect the political process to represent their interests.

Where do I begin?

All political movements are funded. Fund raising is critical. The local Red Shirt Democracy Movement (RSDM) is also heavily engaged on a small scale in fundraising to pay for costs of rallies, transport to BKK, food, etc. The one I am familiar with just raffled off a gold necklace, and earned 10,000 baht beyond cost. The National level needs to do even more.

You see, the Govt. and their media outlets are hoping their agenda to avoid political characterization of this Democracy Movement by repeatedly referring to them only as the "Red Shirts" is paying off. They would not want it generally known that this is in fact a citizens movement to restore Democracy, and certainly not that it has support, both in numbers and Financially. By extension, it is also obviously another in the never-ending demonization pokes at Mr. Thaksin.

So fund raising and transferring of it to this Democracy Movement is "smuggling" huh........Wow, is that agenda or what!

"......was the money transferred to violence prone people[/i]",........"...it is likely to help violence prone people be cash rich...." End of quote..............Wow again. And Governments are supposed to be representative. If statements like this doesn't expose them for what they are, representatives of only themselves and their minority backers, nothing will. This Democracy Movement is huge, growing and grassroots oriented. And with its' 80% female membership to be referred to as "Violence prone" is such a broad-stroke smear as to be incomprehensible. Unbelievable that a Govt. would demonize such a huge citizen movement and expect a 'future' With stuff like this coming out of them, I can fully understand why they had better avoid an election at all costs.

All this costly security stuff set over against a movement that is peacefull is pure political posturing, to the extreme. The Domestic Media's agenda prevents them from reporting on the many, hugely attended regional rallies (just in the last two weeks, 100,000 at Khon Kean, 50,000 at Udon Thani) all of them peaceful. Had one egg been broken, or had there been a "staged explosion", you can bet the media would have been all over it in a condemnatory manner.

The minority enemies of this movement always fall back on the Songkran thing. Ex-pats must understand that as Jatuporn said in this article, "The Government passed on the blame to us for that disturbance" They were empty handed, as most female Red Shirts will tell you. But never mind, most publicity of that event was funnelled through the Domestic Media with their strong anti-Red Shirt agenda, with expected bias. Suffice it to say, this event has many interpretations. The enemies will latch onto one, those of us who are inclined differently, will interpret it another way.

One last thing. I have mentioned frequently now, the 80% female make-up of this movement. I dont know why that is, but also am convinced that it is a large contributor to the MO of the RSDM. One doesn't need to look further than the military-type encampments of the PAD during their heyday, over against the open air, carnival type of RSDM rally's, where even with 100,000 in attendance, no security guards are evident, other than the ones around the leaders. Farangs are idolized at these events as being those who understand and appreciate Democratic principles.

Awright, enough of this drivel

How dare you talk about against the Elite back by Brainwashing Media.

Well said THANK YOU

Im just surprised to hear of a story where men from London are attracted to the opposite sex, it doesnt happen too often.

I second that motion ha ha

There's enough police on duty; they just aren't doing anything. Sitting by the side of the road watching people break laws really isn't working.

Drive a new and fancy car they are scard to stop you

I hope they do what they are told, Bu I hate say these mandates. It don’t work. it is just for show that minister are doing some things. They need to set up a body or bodies to facilitates the action

Just keep on dreaming TOT is a joke and always will be

Unless we become more active in cutting carbon (and methane) emissions instead of being waylaid by big corporations' desire to maximise their profits at all costs; we may live to see the day when a multi billion dollar profit will buy absolutely zilch.

Edited for grammar

All well and good how about cleaning up one owns back yard.

Before critizing anything else.

Any one living in Northern Thailand knows what I am talking about.

Every March because of the burn and slash practice the polution is the worsed I every seen in any country included China.

This article is right. I used to go to Phuket. The tuk tuk situation and transport problems for going between areas on the island is probably the major reason I no longer visit there.

Me too. How about the boys in BKK doing something about?

Who cares it is another to RIP OFF Farangs.

More lefty UN crap. By the same logic fruitpickers in Australia are slaves too.

You can't hire people from Myanmar as sailors ? There are a lack of professional Thai fishermen ?

The people who wrote this report are the same people who want to frighten us with global warming and other left wing crap.

Get your head out your a..........s

I think even Big C and Tesco Lotus are forgoing quality for lower prices

Over the past 5 years and more noticeably this year, it seems Tesco and Big C have replaced many items with cheaper quality junk from China.

From Electrical to tools, many, many items are very cheaply made.

I had a large tupperware tub in the shopping cart, it fell out on the floor and a 14" piece broke right out of the side. This is absolute junk if you ask me.

Small appliances I always stick with Brand Names and try to buy at Central so at least they last.

But all in all, you have to be very, very careful and check everything before you buy it

Money is becoming more important than ever here in Thailand and all ethics are flying out here as fast as lightning

Just build a beautiful house used the finest products , German or Japanese, used some Kohler manufactured here too, paid my workers well some 400 to 500 Baht a day,they where worth every penny, have 3 hot water tanks with copper tubing plumbing, I did have to fire a couple incompetent sub-contractors but replaced them. I will put this house up

against any house build in the USA for workmanship. I was a contractor in the states for over 35 years. One thing I learned here they are either suberb or incompetent.May I was just lucky but I worked with them all the way, found them loyal and very hard working and willing to learn after I proved myself to them.You get what you pay for and I got the best end result at a very reasonable price.