Eric Loh

Cheaper to get a massage than buying that over priced chair and you can get the extra  service that the chair can’t provide. 

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

All politicians are corrupt.... it's the depth that varies.

Recalcitrant junta apologist shamelessly avoid your point that corrupt politicians can be dealt with by the law and subsequently by the people.  

9 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

I wonder if the NCPO will offer to pay his medical expenses!!!!!

None from the government even bother to visit him. Too much guilt to face the victim. 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Hope for a better democracy

 

Better chance if Thailand can charge and jail those coup generals and reform the military. In that process, re-write the constitution to a fully elected bicameral system. This constitution is a stranglehold for a better democracy and the military is a disease that need to be surgically removed. 

42 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Honest politicians could, in theory, clean up the police and the bureaucracy. Prayut exposed at least some of them.

He only went after those who are dispensable. Don't see him exposing his family and side-kicks blatant corruption.  

1 minute ago, Ozman52 said:

Oh come on! A genuine Thaksin apologist can do better than quibbling over a small numerical error.

Well I have to do the decent thing to correct those junta apologist; right ?

9 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Thaksin and his cronies governed the biggest part of the last 20 years. There is no doubt he and his minions were democratically elected. And there is no double that he and his cronies were all very corrupt. In that time the military stepped in two times because checks and balanced did not work anymore (at least that was one reason). Thai voters could have elected honest or at least less corrupt politicians for the last decades. They didn't. And even in the recent election the criminal fugitive Thaksin and his minions received lot of votes. Is that smart? I don't think so.

If you can’t even get the number of years Thaksin and his affiliates parties were in government, it is a waste of time talking to a novice.

1 minute ago, OneMoreFarang said:

What gives you the idea that they get it right? In the last 20 years (that the time I observed it myself in Thailand) the majority of Thais voted again and again for the same corrupt politicians even when the had better, less corrupt, choices. Einstein called it insanity. 

And what gives you the idea they can’t get it right. The people did not stand a chance with 18 coups or 1 every 6 years since Thailand allowed multi parties election. Thais didnt vote for the corrupt military to intervene yet they governed for most part of the 20 years and badly too, that’s the insanity that you subscribed.

2 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Personally I am frustrated that people vote again and again for the same old corrupt politicians or their family members and then somehow they expect an honest government.

If Thais want a good government why do they vote for corrupt politicians? Strange!

 

They will get it right if allowed to vote. It’s when you have corrupt military that seized power and behaving worst than corrupt elected politicians, it narrow down their choice.

19 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Mr. Boonyasith Chokwatana, chairman of the Sahapat Group, a leading Thai distributor of consumer products, has urged the government to address the problem as a matter of urgency to protect the export sector.

Doubt Boonyasith has been truthful in his complain regarding the strong baht. A strong baht really has two sides of the coin. Sahapat Group import farm equipments and related agriculture items and gain from better exchange rate. Almost all manufacturers import their raw materials and gain significant currency advantages. Are they keeping these extraordinary exchange profit while complaining about the strong Baht. Are they just being greedy. 

First you confiscate their title deeds and then you return them back and you expect them to thank you. Obnoxious behavior. 

8 minutes ago, dabhand said:

This treasury reserve balance issue has been done to death on previous threads. See this one from 2017:

 

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/967758-pm-prayut-denies-the-government-is-broke/page/7/?tab=comments#comment-11602852

 

The movement in the reserve balances during the year is mainly linked to the cyclical nature of the tax revenues. In particular the corporate tax payments (with most companies having 31Dec year ends) due in months 5 and 8. Thus, the reserve balance spikes at that time and diminishes during other periods as expenditures tend to be more evenly spread out during the year.

 

There is a more recent BOT publication that has a 'Treasury Cash' graph on page 7 that clearly shows these periodic spikes continuing.

 

https://www.bot.or.th/Thai/Statistics/Graph/Chart_Pack/Chart Pack.pdf

 

I can agree with your explanation that periodic spikes are quite normal linked to personal and corporate tax. I am just concern about the spending or expenditures on infra structure and stimulus policies that went unabated during the junta government and a passive NLA not confronting the junta for accountability. There is a legal range for the treasury reserves and the junta has in the past broke the lower limit and no questions asked. Now that we have oppositions in Parliament, they should more robust in questioning the spending on behalf of the people they represent. 

5 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

It's almost charming in it's naivety - that you actually think FFP aren't under patronage!

Thought I said 'refreshing change'. Should be simple enough to understand. 

I hope the professor is not taking her comment out of context and I look forward to Pannika’s rebuttal. 

All told, people should be allowed to have opinion and freedom of expression guaranteed in the constitution. As a young party, FFP has been a refreshing change from the old sakdina style of patronage and obedience politics. Even Thanatorn’s stab at the old culture of 50 years non interference Asean is bold and fresh in this times.

39 minutes ago, robblok said:

With these figures the deficit is 26,5% seems a bit high and I believe against the law. I thought they had a limit for the height of the deficit. 

 

Been looking back but it seems they have a deficit like that for the last couple of years. Crazy high. 

I think it is 20% limit on expenditures and this limit according to the Fiscal Responsibility Act. The budget is actually 3.2 trillion baht. The caveat being that the budget is based on 4% growth which is under some pressure from declining export and global trade. 

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Therefore, the treasury reserve at the end of May was at Bt319.26 billion, he said.

 

The treasury reserve was at 495 B Baht before the junta took power in 2014; a deficit of 176 B. I hope the opposition MPs will push this government to explain the shortfall as the huge deficit reduces cash liquidity in case of emergency or massive tragedy like the tsunami. 

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

With the political situation becoming more certain and the government on the eve of formation, the new prime minister will be able to continue driving government policy.

Lots of false statements. The political situation has became more uncertain, the government formation not any nearer in sight and full of conflicted politicians aspiring to be ministers and the Prime Minister is not representing the people and has no vision.  

I think BOT made a mistake in Dec to raise rate by 25 basis point from 1.5% to 1.75%. Central banks around the world cut key interest rate to boost slowing global trade growth. The relative high rate has attracted quite a lot of inflows for bond and equity and inflated the Baht strength. I was expecting a move back to 1.5% but I guessed ego got to BOT to admit that the Dec rate hike was a mistake. Expect a lowering of rate back to 1.5% this year. 

Other more efficient options can be in terms of regulation and licensing. The authority can tighten the regulation on where the machines can be allowed and impose a quota per annum on their proliferation. They can make licensing tighter and more expensive. Shutting down and giving the reason as gambling is just dim witted reasoning.  

10 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

His vision? Does he have one - apart from the seafood banquet.

Talking of vision, hopefully the population will visit Specsavers in order for them to see clearly what the old/new PM (delete as applicable) is up to with regard to screwing up the country.

He had a chance to lay out the vision for Thailand when the parliament convened on 4th June. He chickened out and didn't attend. His answers were gems. "Isn't that enough" referring to his last 5 years of non elected government and "no need". Simply put, this imbecile has no vision nor has the mental capacity to come up with one. His whole adult life is about giving orders, not vision. 

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

The Foreign Affairs Minister, Don Pramudwinai, says the vision of ASEAN presented at the summit by Gen. Prayut was a new topic.

Anyone even know his vision for Thailand? 

17 minutes ago, Matzzon said:

create confusion, sir.

Only work on those who are still confused.