heiwa

He also suggested that labour-intensive industry should move to neighbouring countries or they would not be able to survive, as technology would replace manpower in the Kingdom.

Ok thats fine...... Just what do they propose to do with the population after technology takes over?

Send them to red villages to fester.

Send them to Phuket to be trained as jet ski repair men. I hear its very lucrative.

Like any subject - if there is no interest in it then there is no learning. Until Thais become interested there will be no learning. Even if you have the best teacher with an un-interested student we all know what the result will be. You see Cambodian, Indonesians, Malaysians all speak excellent English (not because of good teachers or a good education system) but because they are interested in popular culture which is dominated by English. However you can not force to people to be interested in English. Each to his or her own. Let it be.

There's another point, Malaysians, Filipinos, Indonesians and more are immersed in learning English from kindergarten, with emphasis on the development of listening and speaking skills, and these countries have learned decades ago how to do it well.

By the time they finish primary school they speak good to advanced English. It's not an 'add-on' after finishing high school or as adults.

Thailand could do the same but ...

It would be a great threat to the caste system. If the down-trodden poor could read Thai Visa (with all its attacks on government) causing a peoples revolt when they wake up to the fact the government is in fact the state sponsored mafia. It really is best that the poor downtrodden do not learn English.

Why does Thailand bother having a government at all? They already have the local informal mafia - why do they need a state sponsored one?

It gives the army something to do. If there was no government, they'd be nobody to launch a coup against.

Splendid reply 555

One positive is there will be a need to employ more policemen helping unemployment statistics due to the millions about to be laid of having to resort to crime to make a living - Well done Yingluck - good to see you following in your brothers footsteps - at this rate you are going to be as wanted in Thailand as much as your brother - if I was you I would get a Dubai passport as a Plan B.

Why does Thailand bother having a government at all? They already have the local informal mafia - why do they need a state sponsored one?

And the shootings of nurses - do you see the link. It has been reported that hospitals have been involved in selling drugs in the Deep South. Now this seriously pissed the drug lords off - so is it any wonder that hospital staff is a target of drug lords down here. And I'll let you work this one out - who-ever controls the borders controls the drug and cheap smuggled malay gas - you are talking Fortune 500 dollars here. All this creates a very explosive environment when all "residents" are vying for the biggest slice of the pie. Yes, and if a business does not pay the extortion fee - the employees start getting beheaded. This has nothing to do with "terrorists". It's all to do with the impossibility to stop the mafia. It may very well have been the mafia that bombed Lee Gardens - the army has commented that this may be the reason. If the army leaves the region the drug lords and extortion lords and smuggling lords will have the business "all to themselves". These people are uncompromising. It may very well be that this "terrorist" thing is just a big cover up for the real reason - mafia control of the whole region. I have been told schools are targeted because they see that the system by the buddhist state government as a form of brainwashing. That would be very easy to solve if the government was not so stubborn - just let the community run their own schools - or have Muslim schools. What would a Jew in Israel say if he had to be lectured on buddism every day. There would be an international outcry. Thailand should keep buddhism study out of the education if it has any respect for Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and atheists. Of course the cure for stubbornness is not easy - and we can see that Yingluck is there for the show - again much about a do for nothing - and the slaughter continues because of this lack of will to make progress.

If they want peace they better get a new suicide watch team. Not much more sickening than for parents to see their children die in prison.

Picking up the bloody pieces after they have been blown apart by a bomb might just top that. Some terrorist dies in prison - sympathy factor approaches zero.

There we go using that word terrorist again - thinking that one word can define this problem - very intelligent - once again.

I was merely pointing out that picking up the pieces of your child killed by a bomb may be a little more disconcerting than the news that your "freedom fighter" offspring (possibly responsible for similar bombings) has died in prison.

I would like to hear your more intelligent description of those who plant bombs to kill anyone unfortunate enough to be in the area, and in particular target schools and teachers, in the name of some obscure and unstated political goal.

One must look at the root cause of the problem - deaths in custody of innocents, drug wars & RAMPANT EXTORTION GANGS, inequitable wealth, corrupt government, indiscriminate killings of innocents (Tak Bai, Krue Mosque etc), clash of civilisations Muslims versus Buddhist with Buddhist enforcing their view of the world in a Muslim majority. I concede it probably is an impossible task to solve. The only solution is to leave the area and which they have in massive numbers. You have innocent muslims killed by a Buddhist government - is that not terror - or some may call it ethnic cleansing? Or is it because they are Muslims - they deserve to be killed of course. After all muslims are all terrorists if you believe Western propoganda. Blood would smell as sweet by any other name. You will find many of the soldiers being slaughtered are Muslims. And the reason they use bombs instead of guns is because the government has been extremely effective in disarming the region. They have no way to defend themselves against extrajudicial killings or dubious arrests. I would prefer the elite and politicians to put uniforms on and defend the South - then we really would see some heart felt meaningful problem solving. However there is no solution to this problem - that I am sure after interviewing many people from that area - the bigger problem for ordinary people is the mafia enforcing payments from all business and telling them how to live - this from my conversations is the reason for the many beheadings - not separatists. As we know in Thailand - mafia culture is impossible to stop. Who is doing the bombings??? - could it be mafia bombers - upset with the army curbing their extortion and drug rackets? I have never heard of any bombers being caught.

Like any subject - if there is no interest in it then there is no learning. Until Thais become interested there will be no learning. Even if you have the best teacher with an un-interested student we all know what the result will be. You see Cambodian, Indonesians, Malaysians all speak excellent English (not because of good teachers or a good education system) but because they are interested in popular culture which is dominated by English. However you can not force to people to be interested in English. Each to his or her own. Let it be.

vows to - that really says it all - promises before and after the election - always future promises never fulfilled because they never can achieve anything but discontent - making rice unaffordable (i.e. taking the food out of the baby's mouth - sickening - that sure is really improving people's life. Any government must make rice cheap as the foundation of policy - they have chosen to do the opposite (vote buying) - make the electorate hungry.

I'm afraid we all all pissing against the wind. Does anyone recall the Australian auditor who was shot dead when he was auditing the books of a Thai miller - sugar or rice - can't remember exactly. As the French say - what is is. This is the way things are here - keep the people stupid - and fleece the electorate of their resources - they go one step further here by making the electorate hungry. The time for a coup is way overdue.

Khao, what rice means to the Thais - and their government does this to them. My God, this certainly is a reason for mass protest - playing with the food supply - i.e. making people hungry - is that what the government was elected to do? It just shows how patient Thai people "can" be. It's no wonder the Deep South think they are better going on their own. They certainly could not manage things any worse than the incumbents - who feel their job is to make the electorate hungry.

With reported wide spread corruption in the price pledging scheme by millers why doesn't the government revoke this scheme - at least to prove they "want to be honest". We all know why they won't revoke this scheme. If a scheme has been completely corrupted and the government does not step in to stop the scheme then it can only prove that the government in fact is completely corrupted. I think they could understand this in Grade 3. It appears some in Government need to go back to school. Thailand your government is a disgrace. They could put their hand up and say we made a mistake - losing face would be better than to let this scam continue.

Well, I remember the last guy who was collecting fees, who also thought he had the licence, and he got the crap beaten out of him - and I don't say this lightly - from memory he was very seriously injured, it was on national news, it was one of the biggest stories of the month. I guess he was a Yellow Shirt by the way he was dressed - suit and tie. The hired mob descended upon him at the airport - I guess they were representatives of the Red Shirts. Yes this is how informal business contracts are awarded in Thailand - whoever can hire the most ruthless mob to enforce robbery. We are seeing this with the rice pledging scheme at the top - the elite form of this game. Give me the sense to not worry about what I can not change however much I would like to change it.

With reported wide spread corruption in the price pledging scheme by millers why doesn't the government revoke this scheme - at least to prove they "want to be honest". We all know why they won't revoke this scheme. If a scheme has been completely corrupted and the government does not step in to stop the scheme then it can only prove that the government in fact is completely corrupted. I think they could understand this in Grade 3. It appears some in Government need to go back to school. Thailand your government is a disgrace.

If they want peace they better get a new suicide watch team. Not much more sickening than for parents to see their children die in prison.

Picking up the bloody pieces after they have been blown apart by a bomb might just top that. Some terrorist dies in prison - sympathy factor approaches zero.

There we go using that word terrorist again - thinking that one word can define this problem - very intelligent - once again.

they hold the management concession for the airport's parking facilities - what makes them believe this?

Babcock #232

Yes and you said it, quote "some red shirt nut" do you think he was the only nut there?

One kid is one kid to many. You don´t bring kids into a war zone. Again lame red shirt supporters excuse.

Please make an intelligent response. Have you heard of past and present extrajudicial killings? Does it ring a bell? Any sensible person would arm themselves if they knew they were going to be attacked by the police and army - obviously - past and "present" behaviour. It is is saddening to see such delusional behaviour from so many farang in Thailand. Thailand is a very "special" environment. I hope one day you are not unfortunate enough to find this out yourself. It truly is the wild west. You really are living in dream land. Thailand is one of the most dangerous countries in the world - fact and people act accordingly - armed to the teeth. People act according to the environment - they call that self-preservation.

However Thailand is officially Number 3 for gun murders. Poisoning murders - My guess 10,000 to 20,000 a year. Poisonings hard to prove of course.

Do you have links to substantiate your facts?

google

If they want peace they better get a new suicide watch team. Not much more sickening than for parents to see their children die in prison.

Immoral or pragmatic - If the police and army chose not to wage wore that day with "civilians" there would have been no deaths. A buddhist would see this as instant karma for waging a war against "the electorate". Same can be seen all over the world now by the elite and their goons (police and army) - USA, Syria, Malaysia etc. The fact is they should have not been there protecting the elite with gun fire on innocents. People should be able to protest where-ever and when-ever they want.

Yes, and I've lived there for 3 years... Fujian area. Your rebuttal is not really valid here as I am not talking about China. The Chinese in Thailand -- generally relatively far wealthier than your typical mainland Chinese -- are quite a world different. They are Thailand's elite. If you want a better comparison, you'd compare to Hong Kong Chinese or Singapore Chinese. All elite. No culture is perfect, but the Chinese are a great civilization of people known all over the world for their work ethic and ambition. They've shaped Thailand into a 'somewhat' modern (although still rather superficially so) modern country and continue to take it in a good direction.

More to the topic, for example, in China, let's say a similar accident happened. Let's say the a guy in a Porsche ran down another car by carelessly doing almost double the speed limit.. And, let's say that the guy in the Porsche happened to live. In China, no matter how wealthy the guy in the Porsche is, he'd be arrested and some punishment would be handed out. I'm not saying that this would occur 100% of the time. Again, no place is perfect. But, in Thailand, you NEVER hear about anyone with wealth or power EVER being given serious punishment for their crimes.

Native Thai culture is lazy. The Chinese had the Great Leap Forward and look at them today. In just a couple decades they are moving forward at incredible speed. Shanghai is as modern a city as most any in Europe or the US. The growth in wealth is extraordinary. They actually apply rule of law -- quite seriously in fact. People are sacked for crimes -- even powerful people. Hell, people are even executed for heinous crimes. Thailand? No way. 'mai pen rai'. There's no 'mai pen rai' in China.

The accident is another clear example of the cultural failure of the Thais to be responsible.

Er that reads like Thailand's elite don't get punished.

Chinese Thais are Thailand's elite

Chinese Thais made this country what it is

Sent from Android please excuse errors in type or judgement

Can you please name me any Thai Chinese Elite or their "connections" ,Starting with Multi billionaire Thaksin and finishing up with the spoiled brat "Mercedes driver" who have finished up in the Slammer for their "misdirection's"

Sentenced to jail is not the same as going to jail. Or going to jail for the first week and then going home.

When you are living in a land where every crime is the perfect crime as long as you have enough money to bribe justice officials everything said and done could only be for show. Corruption, killing - what does it matter even if you are caught. Let's wait till next century.

^^ This is why I just sit back and smile when posters quote statistics from any body concerned with stats gathering in Thailand. These stats can't be trusted. No stats are perfect but which would you tend to trust more?

Stats from an agency which is somehow regulated, perhaps in a modern, open country with freedom of speech, the rule of law and checks and balances to power...

OR

Stats from a third world, utterly corrupt-to-the-bone, totally unmodern, or at best superficially modern, country with superficial, grossly irregularly applied law, and one which has at it's core in society a deep need to save face and a very heavy interest in international tourism from which at least a quarter of its GDP derives?

To me, it's quite obvious that stats furnished by any Thai body or stats which were gathered even by international agencies but necessarily performed in Thailand hold very little weight.

However Thailand is officially Number 3 for gun murders. Poisoning murders - My guess 10,000 to 20,000 a year. Poisonings hard to prove of course.

And if they are drunk and there is a gun around - this is the recipe for gun homicide. Conversation is more likely to be seen as loss of face provoking when drunk.

Well, they wern't racing each other. The Porsche at 280kmh was doing this alone, so the Fortuner driver shouldn't be blamed

apply local custom - the fast lane is a runnaway strip for airplanes. you must face the facts and adjust for local conditions - theres no point in pretending there are laws here is there?