NeutralVoice

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I wonder how long it will take for many Thais to wonder if they really want to live in a country that's a mix of Singapore as for society rules and Burma for the political regime. Clearly that's what the junta is heading towards and I'm not sure that the average Thai person is ready for this.

For sure this anti-bribery scheme does not raise hurras from some road warriors I've spoken to (like clothes sellers who make the trip from they jangwat to Pratunam at least once a week). Sure, that might clamp down on the number of imaginary offenses they are charged for, but it also means that whenever they get pulled over by a cop, they might waste the rest of the day going to to a distant police station they can't find, doing a likely time-consuming paperwork and eventually pay way much more than the cop would have asked for,

I'm waiting until restrictions on alcohol selling and consumption are strictly enforced country-wide (not only in Bangkok) and other similar measures likely to be immensely popular to see whether the current ruler's aura starts fading or not.

I don't quite get your last sentence. Alcohol sales are not restricted pretty much anywhere in the world. It is individual responsibility to consume measures one can handle WHEN NOT DRIVING, and not consume when one does drive, or how much one consumes with a meal and does not, etc. You would condone going back to black-market sales, because of lessened legal sales? FFSs you must be 90 years old, and from Chicago??

He was being sarcastic about it.

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I'm afraid that Thaksin, the PTP and UDD cannot be trusted as they cheat, lie, are corrupt and care only for themselves - whilst bankrupting the country in the process. As far as I'm concerned they don't deserve to have a say in anything as they are criminals/fugitives.

Far better off without them don't you agree!!!!

Let me agree with you that many of them are a bunch of self serving corrupt politicians.

Now, let's take another well known Thai politician. Chuan Leekpai - elected in September of 1,992, as the 20th Prime Minister and the first to come to power without aristocratic or military backing. Stop for a second and ponder on that statement. A democratic country that not until 1992 elected a Prime Minister that was not directly hand picked by the elite.

He served two terms, the first ended in May of 1995, which consisted of a 5 party coalition that got defeated by Chavalit Yongchaiyut. However that government was short lived as it was held responsible for the economic crisis that beset Thailand and much of Asia in 1997. This allowed Leekpai to return for a second term. Criticized as a slow actor, he allowed numerous corruption scandals to take place during his time in office.

The following is reprinted for Wikipedia

Raluek Leekpai Scandal[edit]

In 1987, when Chuan was Parliament Speaker, his younger brother Raluek Leekpai (ระลึก หลีกภัย) was charged with embezzling 231.8 million THB (approx. 9 million USD in 1987) from Thai Farmers Bank.^[4] Raluek had been an executive at TFB. Responding to accusations in Parliament, Chuan publicly defended the innocence of his brother. Raluek fled the country, and only returned to Thailand in 2004 after the statute of limitations expired on his crime and he couldn't be prosecuted. He had been on the run as a fugitive in Taiwan. Raluek has said he might enter politics in order to restore his reputation, although he said he wanted to live a quiet life in his Trang hometown.^[5]

First Term (1992-1995)[edit]

In the aftermath of Bloody May, the Democrat Party won the majority of seats in the September 1992 elections, with 79 seats, compared to the Chart Thai Party with 77 seats. Chuan formed a coalition government with the Phalang Dharma and Ekkaparb parties.

Key policies of Chuan's first administration included:

• Engagement with Burma. As with all previous administrations, the Chuan government employed a policy of constructive engagement with the military government of Burma, provoking much criticism.^[6]
• Reforestation. A huge 5 million rai reforestation programme in honour of King Bhumibol's 50th anniversary of accession to the throne (1996) was initiated in 1994. The reforestation programme was officially declared a failure, with less than 40% of the target realized. The Director General of the RFD was suspended from his post for alleged corruption within the programme.^[7]
• Emphasis on national economic stability, decentralization of the administrative powers to the rural provinces, fostering income, opportunity and economic development distribution to the regions.

The first Chuan administration fell when members of the cabinet were implicated in profiting from Sor Phor Kor 4-01 land project documents distributed in Phuket province. Fierce public and press criticism and dissolution of Parliament were the reasons for his administration's downfall.^[8]

Second Term (1997-2001)[edit]

With United States President Bill Clinton in Wellington, New Zealand at the APEC summit, 1999

Chuan became prime minister for the second time on November 9, 1997, replacing Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, with a shaky line-up of a six-party coalition and 12 independent defectors from a seventh party, Prachakorn Thai. The ruling coalition increased its 20-seat majority in October 1998, by including the Chart Pattana party.

Economic Reforms[edit]

Chuan's second government enacted several economic reforms for which it was severely criticised. Chuan's "bitter medicine" policies brought little economic relief in the years following the 1997 economic crisis, particularly at the grassroots level. Opinions emerged that the Democrats were only helping big financial institutions and making the country more dependent of foreign investors. Nevertheless, many of the reforms recommended by the IMF were in line with the policies of market economies such as Australia and New Zealand. Interestingly, the subsequent government's economic growth was based even more strongly on selling national assets and private organisations abroad such as the Shin corporation, while most of their economic gains were built on the frugality of the Democrat policy platform. Thai Rak Thai painted the Democrats as having "open contempt" for the plight of the common Thai which set off a revenge vote against the party during the 2001 election, which gave a landslide victory to Thaksin Shinawatra.^[9]

Human Rights[edit]

Chuan's second government came under fire for the violent arrest of 223 villagers protesting the Pak Mun dam. Respected historian Nidhi Iawsriwong noted that "the present situation is as worse as that of the May event (the bloody crackdown of anti-government protesters in 1992). We have a tyrannical government that is arrogant and not accountable to the public. This is dangerous because the government still sees itself as legitimate and claims that it is democratic. In fact, it is as brutal as the military government".^[10]

In March 1999, Chuan nominated Thanom Kittikachorn to the post of honorary royal guard to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, provoking widespread criticism. Thanom turned down his appointment^[11] Thanom was one of the "Three Tyrants" who ruled Thailand from 1963 to 1973 and ordered the massacre of pro-democracy students on 14 October 1973, after which he was ordered to step down and be exiled by HM Bhumibol Adulyadej.

In April 2000, the Editor in Chief of the Chiang Mai daily newspaper Pak Nua was shot and seriously wounded in an attempted murder, but recovered. The editor believed that his repeated critical reporting on the government led to the assault.^[12]

Corruption[edit]

Although generally regarded as relatively clean and honest when compared to other Thai administrations, Chuan's government found itself plagued with corruption scandals and rumors. Key cases of corruption included:

• Rakkiat Sukhthana, Health Minister, was charged with taking a five million THB (125,000 USD) bribe from a drug firm and forcing state hospitals to buy medicine at exorbitant prices. After being found guilty, he jumped bail and went into hiding.
• Suthep Thaugsuban, Minister of Transport and Communications, whose brokering of illegal land deals caused the fall of the Chuan 1 government, was linked to abuse of funds in setting up a co-operative in his southern province of Surat Thani.^[13]
• The "edible fence" seed scandal, in which massive overpricing of seeds distributed to rural areas happened. The Deputy Minister of Agriculture was forced to resign.^[14]
• The Salween logging scandal, where up to 20,000 logs were felled illegally in the Salween forest in Mae Hong Son. Some of them turned up in the compound of the Democrat party’s office in Phichit province.^[14]
• Sanan Kajornprasart, Interior Minister, as well as 8 other cabinet ministers were found to have understated their declared assets. Sanan was later barred by the Constitution Court from politics for 5 years.^[15]
• Chuan himself was found by the National Counter-Corruption Commission to have undeclared shareholdings in a rural cooperative.^[15]

Chuan stepped down as the head of the Democrat Party in 2003.

Criticisms[edit]

• Chuan also got the nickname 'Chang Tha Si' (painter in Thai). When party members were accused of corruption, he was always known to protect them by telling the press they were clean although the court had not delivered its decision yet.

Quotes[edit]

• "I haven't received any reports yet."– (in Thai "ผมยังไม่ได้รับรายงาน") Chuan Leekpai's classic phrase when he faced many Thai reporters about some important issues or urgent issues.

• "The committee is still evaluating it."– (in Thai "ทางคณะกำลังพิจารณาอยู่ครับ") One of his most famous quotes.

Now, we can pick another profile if you like and let's see if it fares much better. Fact is that Thailand is besieged by a lack of sincere politicians. The reasons a re simple - the apple pie is not big enough to allow wealth to grow organically and through the fruits of labor, instead it is build through corruption and shortcuts that are only possible by wielding the accrued power.

By the way, the profile I chose is not even close to the most corrupt of Thaksin's predecessors. There is one I will not name who is believed to have embezzled the equivalent of 2% of Thailand GDP. Look up, I am sure you will find it and along with it you will find the world "military" all over the place as well.

That is in the distant past - all I am really saying is that Thaksinites in their varying forms and guises have shown themselves 'not to be trusted' and should not have any say in shaping the future of Thailand bearing in mind they nearly brought this proud nation to its knees until the good General stepped in to rescue matters.

ROFL - that is what I call a very weak retort! The distant past huh? I guess the massacre of students just before that is also the distant past. An edit I made invited you to take a read at this link:

If you have a minute do so. Don't need to buy the book as the first page alone is a perfect description of today's political climate. History keeps repeating itself and that is because people like you choose to ignore and realize that the past teaches us much about the present and the future. It can be avoided if lessons are learned, otherwise people are destined to relived it again and again for generations to come.

By the way, am I to infer that in 10 years time Thaksin and his family can return to politics? After all the events of his term will be heralded as the "distant past" by you and like minded people right?

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I'm afraid that Thaksin, the PTP and UDD cannot be trusted as they cheat, lie, are corrupt and care only for themselves - whilst bankrupting the country in the process. As far as I'm concerned they don't deserve to have a say in anything as they are criminals/fugitives.

Far better off without them don't you agree!!!!

Let me agree with you that many of them are a bunch of self serving corrupt politicians.

Now, let's take another well known Thai politician. Chuan Leekpai - elected in September of 1,992, as the 20th Prime Minister and the first to come to power without aristocratic or military backing. Stop for a second and ponder on that statement. A democratic country that not until 1992 elected a Prime Minister that was not directly hand picked by the elite.

He served two terms, the first ended in May of 1995, which consisted of a 5 party coalition that got defeated by Chavalit Yongchaiyut. However that government was short lived as it was held responsible for the economic crisis that beset Thailand and much of Asia in 1997. This allowed Leekpai to return for a second term. Criticized as a slow actor, he allowed numerous corruption scandals to take place during his time in office.

The following is reprinted for Wikipedia

Raluek Leekpai Scandal[edit]

In 1987, when Chuan was Parliament Speaker, his younger brother Raluek Leekpai (ระลึก หลีกภัย) was charged with embezzling 231.8 million THB (approx. 9 million USD in 1987) from Thai Farmers Bank.^[4] Raluek had been an executive at TFB. Responding to accusations in Parliament, Chuan publicly defended the innocence of his brother. Raluek fled the country, and only returned to Thailand in 2004 after the statute of limitations expired on his crime and he couldn't be prosecuted. He had been on the run as a fugitive in Taiwan. Raluek has said he might enter politics in order to restore his reputation, although he said he wanted to live a quiet life in his Trang hometown.^[5]

First Term (1992-1995)[edit]

In the aftermath of Bloody May, the Democrat Party won the majority of seats in the September 1992 elections, with 79 seats, compared to the Chart Thai Party with 77 seats. Chuan formed a coalition government with the Phalang Dharma and Ekkaparb parties.

Key policies of Chuan's first administration included:

• Engagement with Burma. As with all previous administrations, the Chuan government employed a policy of constructive engagement with the military government of Burma, provoking much criticism.^[6]
• Reforestation. A huge 5 million rai reforestation programme in honour of King Bhumibol's 50th anniversary of accession to the throne (1996) was initiated in 1994. The reforestation programme was officially declared a failure, with less than 40% of the target realized. The Director General of the RFD was suspended from his post for alleged corruption within the programme.^[7]
• Emphasis on national economic stability, decentralization of the administrative powers to the rural provinces, fostering income, opportunity and economic development distribution to the regions.

The first Chuan administration fell when members of the cabinet were implicated in profiting from Sor Phor Kor 4-01 land project documents distributed in Phuket province. Fierce public and press criticism and dissolution of Parliament were the reasons for his administration's downfall.^[8]

Second Term (1997-2001)[edit]

With United States President Bill Clinton in Wellington, New Zealand at the APEC summit, 1999

Chuan became prime minister for the second time on November 9, 1997, replacing Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, with a shaky line-up of a six-party coalition and 12 independent defectors from a seventh party, Prachakorn Thai. The ruling coalition increased its 20-seat majority in October 1998, by including the Chart Pattana party.

Economic Reforms[edit]

Chuan's second government enacted several economic reforms for which it was severely criticised. Chuan's "bitter medicine" policies brought little economic relief in the years following the 1997 economic crisis, particularly at the grassroots level. Opinions emerged that the Democrats were only helping big financial institutions and making the country more dependent of foreign investors. Nevertheless, many of the reforms recommended by the IMF were in line with the policies of market economies such as Australia and New Zealand. Interestingly, the subsequent government's economic growth was based even more strongly on selling national assets and private organisations abroad such as the Shin corporation, while most of their economic gains were built on the frugality of the Democrat policy platform. Thai Rak Thai painted the Democrats as having "open contempt" for the plight of the common Thai which set off a revenge vote against the party during the 2001 election, which gave a landslide victory to Thaksin Shinawatra.^[9]

Human Rights[edit]

Chuan's second government came under fire for the violent arrest of 223 villagers protesting the Pak Mun dam. Respected historian Nidhi Iawsriwong noted that "the present situation is as worse as that of the May event (the bloody crackdown of anti-government protesters in 1992). We have a tyrannical government that is arrogant and not accountable to the public. This is dangerous because the government still sees itself as legitimate and claims that it is democratic. In fact, it is as brutal as the military government".^[10]

In March 1999, Chuan nominated Thanom Kittikachorn to the post of honorary royal guard to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, provoking widespread criticism. Thanom turned down his appointment^[11] Thanom was one of the "Three Tyrants" who ruled Thailand from 1963 to 1973 and ordered the massacre of pro-democracy students on 14 October 1973, after which he was ordered to step down and be exiled by HM Bhumibol Adulyadej.

In April 2000, the Editor in Chief of the Chiang Mai daily newspaper Pak Nua was shot and seriously wounded in an attempted murder, but recovered. The editor believed that his repeated critical reporting on the government led to the assault.^[12]

Corruption[edit]

Although generally regarded as relatively clean and honest when compared to other Thai administrations, Chuan's government found itself plagued with corruption scandals and rumors. Key cases of corruption included:

• Rakkiat Sukhthana, Health Minister, was charged with taking a five million THB (125,000 USD) bribe from a drug firm and forcing state hospitals to buy medicine at exorbitant prices. After being found guilty, he jumped bail and went into hiding.
• Suthep Thaugsuban, Minister of Transport and Communications, whose brokering of illegal land deals caused the fall of the Chuan 1 government, was linked to abuse of funds in setting up a co-operative in his southern province of Surat Thani.^[13]
• The "edible fence" seed scandal, in which massive overpricing of seeds distributed to rural areas happened. The Deputy Minister of Agriculture was forced to resign.^[14]
• The Salween logging scandal, where up to 20,000 logs were felled illegally in the Salween forest in Mae Hong Son. Some of them turned up in the compound of the Democrat party’s office in Phichit province.^[14]
• Sanan Kajornprasart, Interior Minister, as well as 8 other cabinet ministers were found to have understated their declared assets. Sanan was later barred by the Constitution Court from politics for 5 years.^[15]
• Chuan himself was found by the National Counter-Corruption Commission to have undeclared shareholdings in a rural cooperative.^[15]

Chuan stepped down as the head of the Democrat Party in 2003.

Criticisms[edit]

• Chuan also got the nickname 'Chang Tha Si' (painter in Thai). When party members were accused of corruption, he was always known to protect them by telling the press they were clean although the court had not delivered its decision yet.

Quotes[edit]

• "I haven't received any reports yet."– (in Thai "ผมยังไม่ได้รับรายงาน") Chuan Leekpai's classic phrase when he faced many Thai reporters about some important issues or urgent issues.

• "The committee is still evaluating it."– (in Thai "ทางคณะกำลังพิจารณาอยู่ครับ") One of his most famous quotes.

Now, we can pick another profile if you like and let's see if it fares much better. Fact is that Thailand is besieged by a lack of sincere politicians. The reasons a re simple - the apple pie is not big enough to allow wealth to grow organically and through the fruits of labor, instead it is build through corruption and shortcuts that are only possible by wielding the accrued power.

By the way, the profile I chose is not even close to the most corrupt of Thaksin's predecessors. There is one I will not name who is believed to have embezzled the equivalent of 2% of Thailand GDP. Look up, I am sure you will find it and along with it you will find the world "military" all over the place as well.

That is in the distant past - all I am really saying is that Thaksinites in their varying forms and guises have shown themselves 'not to be trusted' and should not have any say in shaping the future of Thailand bearing in mind they nearly brought this proud nation to its knees until the good General stepped in to rescue matters.

ROFL - that is what I call a very weak retort! The distant past huh? I guess the massacre of students just before that is also the distant past. An edit I made invited you to take a read at this link:

If you have a minute do so. Don't need to buy the book as the first page alone is a perfect description of today's political climate. History keeps repeating itself and that is because people like you choose to ignore and realize that the past teaches us much about the present and the future. It can be avoided if lessons are learned, otherwise people are destined to relived it again and again for generations to come.

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I'm afraid that Thaksin, the PTP and UDD cannot be trusted as they cheat, lie, are corrupt and care only for themselves - whilst bankrupting the country in the process. As far as I'm concerned they don't deserve to have a say in anything as they are criminals/fugitives.

Far better off without them don't you agree!!!!

Let me agree with you that many of them are a bunch of self serving corrupt politicians.

Now, let's take another well known Thai politician. Chuan Leekpai - elected in September of 1,992, as the 20th Prime Minister and the first to come to power without aristocratic or military backing. Stop for a second and ponder on that statement. A democratic country that not until 1992 elected a Prime Minister that was not directly hand picked by the elite.

He served two terms, the first ended in May of 1995, which consisted of a 5 party coalition that got defeated by Chavalit Yongchaiyut. However that government was short lived as it was held responsible for the economic crisis that beset Thailand and much of Asia in 1997. This allowed Leekpai to return for a second term. Criticized as a slow actor, he allowed numerous corruption scandals to take place during his time in office.

The following is reprinted for Wikipedia

Raluek Leekpai Scandal[edit]

In 1987, when Chuan was Parliament Speaker, his younger brother Raluek Leekpai (ระลึก หลีกภัย) was charged with embezzling 231.8 million THB (approx. 9 million USD in 1987) from Thai Farmers Bank.^[4] Raluek had been an executive at TFB. Responding to accusations in Parliament, Chuan publicly defended the innocence of his brother. Raluek fled the country, and only returned to Thailand in 2004 after the statute of limitations expired on his crime and he couldn't be prosecuted. He had been on the run as a fugitive in Taiwan. Raluek has said he might enter politics in order to restore his reputation, although he said he wanted to live a quiet life in his Trang hometown.^[5]

First Term (1992-1995)[edit]

In the aftermath of Bloody May, the Democrat Party won the majority of seats in the September 1992 elections, with 79 seats, compared to the Chart Thai Party with 77 seats. Chuan formed a coalition government with the Phalang Dharma and Ekkaparb parties.

Key policies of Chuan's first administration included:

• Engagement with Burma. As with all previous administrations, the Chuan government employed a policy of constructive engagement with the military government of Burma, provoking much criticism.^[6]
• Reforestation. A huge 5 million rai reforestation programme in honour of King Bhumibol's 50th anniversary of accession to the throne (1996) was initiated in 1994. The reforestation programme was officially declared a failure, with less than 40% of the target realized. The Director General of the RFD was suspended from his post for alleged corruption within the programme.^[7]
• Emphasis on national economic stability, decentralization of the administrative powers to the rural provinces, fostering income, opportunity and economic development distribution to the regions.

The first Chuan administration fell when members of the cabinet were implicated in profiting from Sor Phor Kor 4-01 land project documents distributed in Phuket province. Fierce public and press criticism and dissolution of Parliament were the reasons for his administration's downfall.^[8]

Second Term (1997-2001)[edit]

Economic Reforms[edit]

Chuan's second government enacted several economic reforms for which it was severely criticised. Chuan's "bitter medicine" policies brought little economic relief in the years following the 1997 economic crisis, particularly at the grassroots level. Opinions emerged that the Democrats were only helping big financial institutions and making the country more dependent of foreign investors. Nevertheless, many of the reforms recommended by the IMF were in line with the policies of market economies such as Australia and New Zealand. Interestingly, the subsequent government's economic growth was based even more strongly on selling national assets and private organisations abroad such as the Shin corporation, while most of their economic gains were built on the frugality of the Democrat policy platform. Thai Rak Thai painted the Democrats as having "open contempt" for the plight of the common Thai which set off a revenge vote against the party during the 2001 election, which gave a landslide victory to Thaksin Shinawatra.^[9]

Human Rights[edit]

Chuan's second government came under fire for the violent arrest of 223 villagers protesting the Pak Mun dam. Respected historian Nidhi Iawsriwong noted that "the present situation is as worse as that of the May event (the bloody crackdown of anti-government protesters in 1992). We have a tyrannical government that is arrogant and not accountable to the public. This is dangerous because the government still sees itself as legitimate and claims that it is democratic. In fact, it is as brutal as the military government".^[10]

In March 1999, Chuan nominated Thanom Kittikachorn to the post of honorary royal guard to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, provoking widespread criticism. Thanom turned down his appointment^[11] Thanom was one of the "Three Tyrants" who ruled Thailand from 1963 to 1973 and ordered the massacre of pro-democracy students on 14 October 1973, after which he was ordered to step down and be exiled by HM Bhumibol Adulyadej.

In April 2000, the Editor in Chief of the Chiang Mai daily newspaper Pak Nua was shot and seriously wounded in an attempted murder, but recovered. The editor believed that his repeated critical reporting on the government led to the assault.^[12]

Corruption[edit]

Although generally regarded as relatively clean and honest when compared to other Thai administrations, Chuan's government found itself plagued with corruption scandals and rumors. Key cases of corruption included:

• Rakkiat Sukhthana, Health Minister, was charged with taking a five million THB (125,000 USD) bribe from a drug firm and forcing state hospitals to buy medicine at exorbitant prices. After being found guilty, he jumped bail and went into hiding.
• Suthep Thaugsuban, Minister of Transport and Communications, whose brokering of illegal land deals caused the fall of the Chuan 1 government, was linked to abuse of funds in setting up a co-operative in his southern province of Surat Thani.^[13]
• The "edible fence" seed scandal, in which massive overpricing of seeds distributed to rural areas happened. The Deputy Minister of Agriculture was forced to resign.^[14]
• The Salween logging scandal, where up to 20,000 logs were felled illegally in the Salween forest in Mae Hong Son. Some of them turned up in the compound of the Democrat party’s office in Phichit province.^[14]
• Sanan Kajornprasart, Interior Minister, as well as 8 other cabinet ministers were found to have understated their declared assets. Sanan was later barred by the Constitution Court from politics for 5 years.^[15]
• Chuan himself was found by the National Counter-Corruption Commission to have undeclared shareholdings in a rural cooperative.^[15]

Chuan stepped down as the head of the Democrat Party in 2003.

Criticisms[edit]

• Chuan also got the nickname 'Chang Tha Si' (painter in Thai). When party members were accused of corruption, he was always known to protect them by telling the press they were clean although the court had not delivered its decision yet.

Quotes[edit]

• "I haven't received any reports yet."– (in Thai "ผมยังไม่ได้รับรายงาน") Chuan Leekpai's classic phrase when he faced many Thai reporters about some important issues or urgent issues.

• "The committee is still evaluating it."– (in Thai "ทางคณะกำลังพิจารณาอยู่ครับ") One of his most famous quotes.

--- END ---

Now, we can pick another profile if you like and let's see if it fares much better. Fact is that Thailand is besieged by a lack of sincere politicians. The reasons a re simple - the apple pie is not big enough to allow wealth to grow organically and through the fruits of labor, instead it is build through corruption and shortcuts that are only possible by wielding the accrued power.

By the way, the profile I chose is not even close to the most corrupt of Thaksin's predecessors. There is one I will not name who is believed to have embezzled the equivalent of 2% of Thailand GDP. Look up, I am sure you will find it and along with it you will find the world "military" all over the place as well.

Now, do yourself a favor and read just the first page of a book written by James Ockey at Cornell University - you can find it here. Once you are done you will find very eerie similarities to today's political climate, except that the government being talked about is none other than Khun Leekpai's first term. Funny how history just repeats itself and fools are those that thing they are witness to something unique and exclusive of one other politicians.

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Preventing nepotistic kleptocrats from gaining power seems to be anathema to Democracy to some people. "Shows bias" they say, good grief.

Thaksin supporters are like political snake oil sellers, they'll cry you are against medicine and the well being of people as they try to sell their poison and pass it as a miracle cure to all ailments.

The next thing you know people will be defending a military coup as the only alternative to democracy.

Are there other alternatives to democracy?

Of course there is. What we have now is precisely what I wanted before the coup rescued Thailand and that is benign dictatorship!!

Seems to be working perfectly to me, just as I predicted and hoped for.

I can laugh at those posters who called me crazy and stupid now that I have been completely vindicated!!

Exactly how have you vindicated? Benign dictatorship you say? Let me tell you what a benign dictatorship is all about - it is a one in which the dictator in charge uses the resources of the country to bring upon higher economic and social standards to people previously disenfranchised. It one in which positive actions write the news, rather than oratory statements. It is one in which the power of the ruler is wise enough, smart enough and confident enough to invite the participation of influential people in the opposite camp. It is one in which inclusion prevails over exclusion, even when the line in the sand is clear and straightforward. It is one in which feeling of support and sympathy come from all people from all sides in the political spectrum. It is one that force opposite views to engage in dialogue with each other, not one that rewards one group over the other. And most important of all, it is one that appeals to the majority rather than to the minority that is upset with the loss of status and influence.

One only needs to open a dictionary and look the word fascist to realize that Thailand is not without plenty of them. Many people are quick to call the USA imperialists, but there is one thing that is worse than a country that wields its power over that of a weaker opponent, and that is those that wield the power over their own people, dehumanizing opponents in order to convince themselves of the right to do so. And that is one thing that is prevalent and quite obvious in these forums when people like you are quick to call the reds as nothing but criminals and hooligans when in fact its core membership is made of people that are just discovering that the only power their have, their vote, is being suppressed and challenged by a minority that doesn't have the moral or intellectual capital to outmaneuver rather simple populist policies that propelled Thaksin to such status in the eyes of so many. You can convince yourself that you are morally correct and they are not, but at the end of the day you know nothing about injustice and they know everything about it.

Ah good news then. Going by your account we will soon rid ourselves not only of Thaksin's abuse of power, but that of all the other politicians before and after him. Not sure who will be left. May be you can offer yourself as a candidate.

To start with, bias is a subjective word. You are biased against Thaksin while others are biased against the current government. You think Thanksin was the most corrupt, and other things that a military institution is far more abusive and dangerous in the long run. That doesn't make you right or them right - in the end people make up their minds and the legacy of those in power will be defined.

Now imagine if a Thaksin government took the actions that the NLA and the junta have taken in the short months they have been in control? Wasn't this last chapter started all over an ill advised and poorly judged attempt at passing an amnesty bill while most people were sleeping? The current government doesn't even need to bother to try those shenanigans, they just do it in plain sight and with both a smirk and a strong warning against any widespread dissent. But hey, since they are on your side it is all right with you right?

And where is the evidence that they are any better? Nowhere. Just look at the murder investigation. The perfect investigation? Congratulations coming from the General himself? Journalists investigating labor abuse of immigrants by big Thai conglomerates still in jail without bail over on charges of criminal libel? Authorities are drinking their koolaid so fast that they now say they will arrest anybody that insults them over their performance? Who made them above the law? Did you? Did anybody else in this forum? People have the right to assemble as long as it is to sing Kumbaya songs? What's next, order TV stations to color ManU, Arsenal and Liverpool's kits into yellow to avoid any association of EPL teams with the red movement?

I can only hope that like minded people like you are not as righteousness as you are as this is the type of contempt that people that have no clue about the injustices that many of your fellow citizens endure on a consistent and systematic way in the hands of those that things they can do the thinking for them and the rest of us.

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I agree with the Generalissimo

"General Prawit pointed out that the martial law doesn't interfere with the daily lives of the general public, and only those who wish to cause insurrection are affected by the law. He also said the government doesn't prohibit academic discussions as long as they are not related to politics."

Its the same as those people who whinge and moan when they have a Police CCTV camera installed opposite their house or have their phone tapped and their calls recorded. If you are not doing anything wrong what harm can it do ??

Here Here General, at last some common sense

I hope you are just cynical - or perhaps you are just a retired ex-KGB that sees no harm in reporting family member - after all only the guilty should fear such a thing. People are people, and people tend to turn things into an opportunity for abuse.

How boring a person must be to think that they are never doing anything wrong at any time in their life. Robots might be more rebellious.

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Ah ha. The little red puppets' heads are starting to (predictably) appear over the parapets.

Sounds like you are just as much of a puppet - just of a different color - but a color nevertheless. Keep polarizing the nation friend - it only leads to what you fear the most.

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Good news, everyone should have legal counsel when jailed guilty or not. However, this will not help those who cannot accept the overwhelming evidence against these two or those who want to believe it was the rich Thai kid (for no other reason than he is rich and Thai) that did it who was taking an exam at school in Bangkok and appeared on security cameras that day in Bangkok.

No doubt the lawyers will be able to collect new DNA samples from their clients and have it compared against the DNA results from the semen taken from the scene originally and sent to both Thai and Singapore labs. But again, doubt this will convince some of admitting their original suspicions were wrong.

While police may have done things wrong, there is no plausible way they could fake the DNA and expect to get away with it unless these two accused disappear from the planet and nobody can ever check their or their family's DNA ever again.

What exactly is the "overwhelming evidence" you keep referring to? I think most people have very little faith in anything the BIB say especially after their lamentable performance in this case and we only know what they say about the DNA.They seem to be mostly relying on the "confessions" which are not evidence.

Again based on what is being reported ...

There friend who was with them right up until the crime will be a witness against them.
Witnesses have put them around the scene at the time of the incident as well as video.
They didn't come forward despite weeks of the publicly stating they were looking for those singing/playing guitar and in at least one of the videos.
A phone of one of the victims was found at their place. (not the phone Facebook forensics keep showing that was collected and displayed by police in the first days of the investigation)
They confessed

They reenacted in front of hundreds of people.
And the big kicker -- their DNA matches the semen on the victim.

And to add ...

The Semen DNA collected well before these two identities were known was also sent to Singapore. So, at least two labs have typed the DNA. Now we have two suspects who match that DNA. Two suspects unless who disappear from the face of the earth (along with their family) will be able to be checked again by their lawyers, NGO and others who want to prove their innocence down the road. (something the police know)

So, in your mind they are ready for conviction or should we just cut that too and just execute them?

It's call escapism - the need to escape the reality around them. Its the "panem et circenses" of our times.

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Exactly, color code politics continues to show its ugly face at each opportunity. The anti-Thaksin rhetoric is completely devout of any sense of justice if those they shout the loudest against him sit here and watch this dictatorial behavior passing their scrutiny as if it is business as usual. There is not one shred of evidence to convince objective political observers that the country is on a better path. To bring down a democratically elected government under the scream that it was elected through corruption, that it has to go because it is unjust, that it needs to be removed because their abuse of power is expected to be followed for calls for the new government to follow all the principles that the one they removed allegedly violated. But now, all those cries for democracy and justice are replaced with calls for patience and let's wait and see attitude. How naive are people to believe that a government that is allowed to rule with no checks and balances is going to give that power now that they have it. Let's see the numerous events in human history to back such examples? No, power breeds more power, and soon enough it becomes righteous and any reaction against to be stopped.

Oh, we can sit here with our internet pens and write what we want, and some say that's freedom of speech. It is not when a censor that has no need to explain why can just delete any post at their will, in order to keep in line with the NCPO. Besides, does it really matter whatever we write and say? No it doesn't, there are not that many fantasy stories in which the power of speech overcomes tyranny - and that's because fantasy requires some sense of connection with reality to grab the imagination of people.

DNA matching the suspects ... let's not forget how the Thai police decided to stop using the FBI for DNA testing and decided to send the test to Singapore instead. Somehow these suspects evaded DNA testing when all workers at the bar were tested. It's a setup, and it will be covered up all the way to very top because these people think so high of themselves and so little of everyone else that they believe the fallacy that people can be fooled so easy.

It's quite obvious and clear ... they GT200 was a biological bomb detector, and its power is in its ability to neutralize the virus.

They were right all along ... we foreigners just don't understand!

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

TRT and Dhammakaya Temple - perfect match

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/27/opinion/opinion_30014752.php

 

Thaksin And Dhammakaya

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/75802-thaksin-and-dhammakaya/

 

Now that the politics in Thailand have changed, the Dhammakaya Temple may not be given such favorable treatment as in the past. People should be free to criticize any 'so called' religious organization. I, personally, have mocked Dhammakaya for years. I believe they are a cult similar to Scientology and their goal is to build power and wealth and not build 'spiritual' growth. The Internet is loaded with unflattering accounts of this temple and if they are going to go after one man, they should go after all critics.

Your comments suggests that this is not the norm but the exception? 

I don't know why people get all sanctimonious about something so unremarkable. It's just a structure, for a deity lead by someone with more ambition than the leaders of other deities. Not a lot different than any business or enterprise in the world. The fact that they exists can only be attributed to the society that allows it. Ask ten people:

1 - out of 10 people how many of them are corrupt

2 - are you corrupt

Most of them will stay the majority are corrupt - but obviously not them.

What do you think the answer will be when confronted with the fact that all but 1 of the other 9 claimed to be clean from corruption. It surely would be something along the lines of "those cheeky bastards, corrupt to the point they lie about everything.

Why did JVC win the video tape wars with an inferior product than Sony's? 

Even thought the "Golden age" of religion started to go downhill ever since Gutenberg invented the press and slowly but surely more and more copies of the Bible and other religious Tomes landed into the hands of "common people", the custodians of these institutions have been clever enough to keep things in a constant state of chaos and confusion so that those sided with them focus on hating and targeting the followers and leaders of competing religions.

Had they not done that and people were left to interpret the words of "wisdom" to their own, it wouldn't have taken 2 generations before the peasants turned against the noble after realizing that nobility was not bestowed on them by spiritual order or preference. The whole Pope - to King - to Noblemen - to Lords to Peasants hierarchy tree that worked so well until the Industrial Revolution made a mess of things would be been debunked a long time ago and we would all be godless capitalists or godless communists - which kind of makes the whole thing sound kind of bad ... 

Then again, what was wrong with the godless communists idea anyway? The Russian Empire had been controlled by the Romanov's for 300 years already. Their grab of power is storied and had terrible downs as well as the fruits of 300 years of control over vasts amounts of land, resources and people. To get to that level you have to have the connection to God, (Tsar's are after all the supreme leaders of the Orthodox Church), and you either had to have, falsify or twist your way into noble bloodlines.

Marx, Lenin, Trosky and even Stalin .. The Bolshevik's way to power could not achieve from their influence on government, industry or religions leaders, so a new way had to be invented. The Industrial Revolution provided this new "how" as a new class of people was rising in power. Reaching vasts numbers of poor people was made easy, which would have been impossible in a Feudal structure full of farm peasants. The social divide was much easier to attack as oligarchs (people climbing the social ladder) also abounded and them did not have the protection of Royal Title that made the vilification of rich people nearly impossible before.

Let's put it this way - in the end the communists leaders kept all the power and all the power - just like the Romanov's. It can be argued that this continues today, the communists in power replaced by the judicial power they created in the Kremlin and divided the country among themselves. Nobody came out better than Putin, who has been hard at work getting some of the spoils that others took back into this domain.

People say the world has changed so much - perhaps so, but one thing has not ... power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. 

Waiting for the day the world gives up on religion. Probably the day that the aliens land.  Would love to see the expression on the pope when he is told aliens have landed.   I'll probably die first.

Unfortunately I suspect that if the Aliens land, they will be regarded as messengers of "God" and then the whole mess shifts about which "God" is the one sending the messengers. It probably gets pretty messy after that.

If the Aliens show us a chronology of our history that matches Darwinism, then we will start to see some of the religious extremes herald the Aliens as "lost in space" or perhaps "exiles from heaven".  And the moment a white-supremacist is told that "you too" come from some chimp mutation that originated in the African continent, well, that's the end of their support. 

If the Aliens tell us that there is no such thing as "God" and that any tales of "chosen tribes" or "infidels" are just the clever if not genius invention of a group of people that needed a way to get an upper hand over others - yet still of humble human origins - well that is really going to stir things. Lawsuits between oppressed and oppressors trying to claim retro-active punitive damages are going to go into the TRILLIONS of dollars. Who can afford that? 

Things might be a bit less messy if the Aliens are not so kind and try to use us or our resources. Then it is all pretty straightforward as they are Satan's minions and all of humanity will be united in fighting this evil force.  There won't be any fragmentation of the causes as Satan is hated equally among all religions.

Funny how that works, the one that should be recognized without any doubts or mistakes has caused more social divide, more wars and more loss of life than any other issue in human history, yet the one that is usually vilified and blamed for all human sufferings has never been the reason for massive loss of life and spiritual disagreements. The worse of the worse of the satanic cults that has ever existed wouldn't measure to to the toes of the Knights Templar or the Order of the Templar during the Holy Crusades.

It is truly a waste of time especially since you can send a messenger to do the 90 day reporting for you. For the last 3 years I have just not done it and pay the 2K when I renew my work permit / visa. The last time was recently and I was a bit nervous when I saw the change of 5K + a possible daily fine but they just charged me 2K and didn't mention anything about the new rule or warn me that the next time won't be so cheap. However for the time being I will probably start do the filing and avoid giving them a chance to interpretation or the wrath of an immigration official just having a bad day.

It has gone unnoticed that the chap was an executive for Eclipse Hotels and Development, which the company behind several entertainment venues in Thailand and a front use by the recently exposed "boiler room boys of Thailand. They have been the recent target of Andrew Drummond's site which is how I made the connection to Eclipse.

This fact probably contributed to the Feds going the extra mile in prosecuting individuals out of this organization as the US seems quite interested in them lately. The fact that he entered a guilty plea and got a relatively short sentence should raise some eyebrows.

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

It is only the habitual and long term users of tourist visas who are having problems

There has been so much coverage of the new stance the people concerned should not be surprised

Thailand gas a new government that is trying to achieve many many needed changes that acts with strength and determination, this has been needed for a long time

WARNING TO THOSE ON OVERSTAY, you need to leave immediately, and clean up your act, before the new regulations come in or you will risk being banned, it is not difficult to get retirement or marriage visas which probably cover 95% of those on overstay

I am personally in favor or the law being properly enforced

Aren't we all in favor of laws we know we are not breaking?

Laws are made for the purpose of putting controls and regulations on its citizens and visitors alike. It does not mean it is a good thing or a bad thing, and in fact many are quite bad and designed in the interests of some perceived thread against the country, at the expense of its citizens. A good example of this are many of the laws wrapped within the so called "Patriot act", put in place in the USA after the 9/11 attacks. The laws are designed to give broad power to authorities, in the name of national security and the target subjects represent a "real and present danger". It surely has had some effect on would-be terrorists, but these laws have created a lot of trouble to innocent citizens that were profiled or "randomly selected".

Not to be forgotten is that each and every law is enforced by human beings, who at times abuse these laws to target a particular person. Some law enforcement officers believe that the end justifies the means, and if that means the abuse of some Patriot Act law is necessary to catch someone that they are absolutely certain is a serial criminal, so be it. We never hear about the cases in which they are right, we hear about the ones in which they are wrong.

The whole idea of "random" temporary denial of your civil rights is laughable at best, yet it is now a generally accepted fact of life for many US citizens.

The same can be said about many laws in the Kingdom of Thailand, put in place but seldom enforced, yet enforced to the strictest sense of the law if so needed. The whole concept of the Rule Of Law is jeopardized and usurped by government officials because it truly gives broad powers to officials to target a particular person while others with similar or worse problems are not targeted. Some will say it is the same as the Patriot Act abuses, but I take exception to that because there is no comparison between the targets that the United States aims for and those that government officials take aim for at various times in the Kingdom's history.

The best laws are those whose language leaves little room for subjective interpretation. Those of us that speak and write English knows how difficult that can be, now try to do this in a language that is not our own and that leaves us at the mercy of the person in front of us telling us what the law says.

So, while the law regarding 30 and 60 day tourist visas makes a lot of sense, the selective enforcement of it is what leaves much to be desired and the source of considerable confusion and anger, especially among those affected by it. Yes, those that walk the fine line and decide to abuse the system because they do not enforce the law are guilty of manipulating the system to their own gain, but it is not fair to just paint all situations with the same brush.

It doesn't take a lot of reading on the THAI VISA forums to find plenty of reasons why a marriage visa would never be advisable. I would never do it, no matter how convinced I am that she would never take advantage of a system whose laws, once again, are flawed and leave foreigners very vulnerable to greedy spouses. The fact that it is a cottage industry in some places like Samui, supported by local officials that exercise their "subjective" interpretation of the law to leave foreigners broke and destitute.

We can take this to the nth degree too. Drug traffickers walk the street unmolested, despite every body knowing the reason some of these foreigners are there, yet activist citizens, the real heroes trying to rid our society from corruption, are often setup or charged with trumped up charges and quickly sentenced to long jail terms.

That these type of abuses can happen to just about anybody is the really scary part, done intentionally to put the fear on most people so they do not even contemplate causing any trouble. If anybody in this forums believe that the new people in power are going to go about this any different is going to get summarily disappointed - assuming objective analysis is being applied.

Crappy and overpriced are the words of expertise and knowledge coming from all the Coffee experts.

Sounds more like the typical anti-american, anti-capitalistic rhetoric with little or no understanding of the market or the companies in question. Starbucks failure in Australia is well documented and debated. 2008, the year in which they exited Australia was a rough year all around for companies expanding into foreign markets.

There is no debate that they made several significant mistakes entering a market in which McDonald's (US Company) and Gloria Jeans (A US company, rights to global markets now owned by a company in Singapore) had solid market share, the fact is that many high flying companies got hit hard when they could not keep pace with growth expectations that were increasingly more difficult to achieve after years of high growth.

To put it all in perspective, at the time that Starbucks exited Australia (2008) they had also announced the closure of 600 outlets across the USA alone. The scaled down from 12,500+ stores to just under 12,000 that year. Fast forward to 2014 and Starbucks has since almost doubled in size, with over 22,000 stores in 69 countries.

It really must be all that truly bad and overpriced coffee causing that kind of growth and market acceptance. You can choose to ignore the fact that they were challenged by the largest fast food chain in the world, McDonald's, which in itself was responding to the need to modernize and create new consumers for its then 20K+ outlets around the world. By adding good coffee at a price point that put Starbucks on high alert, along with decent pastries,

As for the claim for quality over quantity when referring to the British-based competitor, having 2,200 outlets worldwide does not really qualify them as a company focused on quality and not quantity. Unlike the United States, European-based chains must look into international markets faster as growing a retail fast food business inside the Euro-zone is remarkably difficult. American fast-food chains dominate Europe as well.

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/feji45fife/top-10-global-fast-food-brands/

1 - McDonald's - almost 19K international outlets in 118 countries, 35K outlets including the USA.

2 - KFC, - part of YUM Brands, with almost 12K international outlets, over 4200 of them in China alone.
3 - Subway - over 10,000 international outlets, including Paris. 26,000 including the USA.
4 - Pizza Hut - also part of YUM Brands (Taco Bell is the other one, which is mostly known in the USA)

5 - Starbucks - Over 5,700 stores in 68 countries, over 22K outlets including the USA.

6 - Burger King - 5,000 stores in international markets, in 75 countries.

7 - Domino''s Pizza

8 - Dunked Donuts

9 - Dairy Queen

10 - Papa Johns

Yes, none of them can compete in quality with a good home made meal or the skills gained at a Cordon Blue school, but let's face it, if a meal from a Cordon Blue chef could be had for 119 baht I am pretty sure that the Cordon Blue brand would be just a notch higher then the C/P frozen food you find at that other American behemoth 7/11.

Let's not forget another fact of supply and demand and the value of marketing and branding. Gucci bags are made in China, just like everything else, yet people are still willing to pay for them as if they were by some true Italian craftsman. You can find the second shift production copies at various locations in Bangkok, at a fraction of the price.

Or take a bottle or Perrier or Evian ... 4 baht for Nestle, or 70 bath of EVIAN. It must be THAT good for the NAIVE that swear on the remarkably pure taste of a liquid that does not have any. Smooth as Silk or Air Asia, Airbus, Boeing or a Russian made aircraft? Everything has the right value to someone, and the more people see that value, the bigger and the more popular the brand will be. Levis Strauss anybody?

Unless these checkpoints are maned by Immigration Officers I don't see the connection between the two. Checkpoints have a specific purpose and officers are focused on this purpose. Not having the passport with you could trigger further inquiries, if you are even asked for it, however there is no good reason for them to require you to present your passport unless they have found some reason to justify this - which again is likely to be related to the checkpoint's purpose.

Under most circumstances you will not face an immigration officer until you are on the way out of the country - or if you go to an immigration office and talk to one for whatever reason. If the overstay is long then expect some scolding by some officers, and they will definitely go to the computer to make sure there are no outstanding warrants against you in case you are leaving because of legal problems in the Kingdom. If you are on international warrants, well, that will pop-up too.

If there are no legal issues, I would not try to sneak out through some small border office, that only gives the locals more power to scrutinize and perhaps invent new laws on the fly. Large border checkpoints and international airports are just too busy to do more than the expected paperwork - pay the 20K, get a stamp on your passport stating your long overstay, and get on with your life. May be you have the charm to talk the officer out of putting that awful stamp on your passport.

Once you are out of the country, apply for the best visa you are able to qualify. There are plenty of legal firms that will give you the necessary paperwork to qualify for a multiple-entry non-immigration B visa - for a fee. I don't really know the level of scrutiny the embassy officials put into the submitted paperwork, and I am sure that things are more difficult under the regime, however I am of the strong belief that presentation and charm go a long long way in securing a positive outcome when submitting your visa application.

No matter the outcome, and yes, there is risk involved, the sooner you can get through the cycle and get a visa to return back to the Kingdom the better. There is no blacklist policy in place at this time, so even if you passport say maximum overstay paid, it is very likely that you will be allowed back into the Kingdom, especially if the only problem you have had in the country is to overstay your visa. But once the blacklist policy is in effect, all bets are off, and expect strict enforcement for the first several weeks or months.

I think this rule is sensible enough. I think that those that have overstayed in excess of any of the thresholds defined in the proposal should plan ahead and leave the Kingdom before this comes into effect. Since this can happen with little or no notice, the sooner you leave and come back, the better your chances that you will be able to avoid getting blacklisted.

I just went through a silly ordeal with my work permit. Not quite sure of the circumstances that caused a problem in the first place, but after 4 years I had to start the entire process from scratch. Apparently this happened because prior to re-issuing my work permit we had to file something with the BOI, and by the time it was done and approved, the time left in my non-B was now less than 2 weeks. We filed for an extension, which they grant for 2 weeks, but now the position for which I applied for the work permit had to be approved first.

By the time it was approved the time left with the extension was less than 2 weeks - short 2 days actually. You would think the non-B could be just get extended without leaving the country as it had been the prior 4 years. But no, the 2 week window is an iron clad rule - why, I have no idea - but the point is that it required for me to leave the country and go to Singapore to apply for a non-B at an embassy.

It was not a problem getting the non-B in Singapore, but now they will only give a 90 days single-entry visa, which is more than enough to complete the work permit process, but I will need to pay the 5700 baht for a second time. All in all, the cost of missing by 2 days is pretty high: 2 half days wasted at the one-stop immigration office + 5,700 baht that will need to be paid again for issuing a 1 year non-B + 100 SGD to get the 90 days single-entry non-B at the Thai Embassy in Singapore (incidentally, there were a total of 3 people, me included, applying for any kind of VISA at 10:00am on a Monday morning). Flying the night before to get in early enough and staying overnight as the visa is not given until the next afternoon. That's another 10K to 20K THB, depending on how you travel. Then there is the lawyers involved, and the time and paperwork required to apply for the work permit as if it was my first day in Thailand - despite being legally in the country for well over half a decade now, 4 years at the current job.

The main beneficiary of this was the city-state of Singapore, as I was there for 4 days (only needed 2) and left my shopping money for the month over there instead of here. I cannot imagine the extra 5,700 baht making much of a contribution to the economy. Or the 100SGD left at the Thai Embassy in SG - which by the way it is an enormous complex in an ultra-prime location on Orchard Blvd.