phrisco17

In the USA the whole month of April. I'll be at the New Orleans Jazz Fest taking in some good tunes and the Beau Bridge Crawfish Festival eating Mudbugs, luckly missing the scandalous waste of water in Thailand during the drought season while the poor farmers crops wither!

Prayut just needs to stop talking and start doing real things that help real people.

Here's a suggestion: Improve infrastructure

Provide garbage collection for ALL people in Thailand.

Provide clean water from clean sources for all of Thailand.

Pave more roads so people don't break their cars and bikes getting to their homes.

Provide much better education and qualified teachers.

Provide free medical for children.

Provide school food programs.

Basically, bring this country into the 21st century for ALL the people in Thailand, most especially the poor people. This is what a government is supposed to do...WORK FOR THE PEOPLE.

and pay us for our 2013 harvest

And enforce the traffic laws!

The Prayuth good news show has English language sub-titles and a person signing for the deaf people, the set always looks good, the PM always looks good.....what could possibly go wrong!

Although I have to admit I usually drop off to sleep at about the 30 second mark!

I just change the channel to the History Channel, much more informative and educational.

This is true of employers everywhere, but especially countries like Thailand that have spent more than the requisite number of years in the "developing" category.

Employers as a group, and especially as a lobby group conveniently have things backwards, because it suits their purpose to do so. They claim they can't increase wages because workers aren't skilled. They want the government to spend the money to get workers up to scratch while simultaneously demanding low taxes and also tax benefits to hire more workers. Where's the government supposed to find the money to fund the education employers demand? Not their problem. If government can't train workers fast enough, open the borders so we can bring in the workers we need, at the price we want to pay.

Other countries have shown that by mandating higher wages, they've created the incentives the average Joe needs to invest the time and money needed to improve his skills.

With virtually full employment, wages shouldn't be as low as they are.

T

unemployment in the country stood at between 0.6 0.7 per cent only.

Has to be the lowest rate in the world! As far as I am aware there is no health or benefit system, no proper tax collection scheme (except for expats that is) so how do they know how many people are unemployed? Absolute b******t and yet another instance of some half baked official opening his mouth before engaging his brain.

It is not a half baked official opening his mouth before engaging his brain.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-02/thailand-s-unemployment-rate-is-a-ridiculously-low-0-6-here-s-why

Google is your friend.

"The informal sector of the Thai economy, comprising anyone who's not covered by formal work arrangements, accounted for more than 64 percent of the total workforce in 2013. It includes street vendors and taxi-motorbike drivers, the self-employed and those operating in gray areas of the economy. They are largely counted as employed."

In other words, those who only work a few hours a day, a few days a week

Also Blumberg article stated that anyone working just 1 hour a week was considered employed!

Counting the Thainess way!

unemployment in the country stood at between 0.6 0.7 per cent only. Hmmmm ye right. And how could they possibly know this figure considering there is absolutely no welfare system to compare with. Should they wish to assess the situation i would ask them to offer the official figure of exactly how many people in the country are paying tax. If you are not paying tax you are not in Employment legally. I would suggest 50% of the Thai population are not registered as paying working tax. [/quote

I read somewhere that only 3% of the Thai population actually pay income taxes! I think it was theBangkok post within the past year.

Funnily enough there is an article In an English Language Daily Business section about a shortage of labour that needs to filled by "Migrant Labour" in the future For the electronics industry 430,000 , Food and beverage 1.3 million and 850,000 in the textile industry. At the present time they are 125-000 short of what is needed. So reducing Human trafficking isn't going to be an easy thing to do when the demand for manpower is so high

They could consider opening the borders a bit so foreigners can come here to work legally and to pay taxes on their earnings.

But I guess Thailand is not ready for that yet.

Close most of the markets and street venders and there would be plenty of labor available. Most of the lazies prefer to work only a few hours a day and only a few days a week. Thainess at its best!!!

The disgusting practice of using child enforced labour continues here in Thailand......even one child being made to work in these establishments, is disgraceful!

Good for the authorities to find these kids........

Hopefully, there will be prosecutions for the factory owners and management........

500 B fine + tea money!

Make sure to stock those machines with plenty of extra large varieties! No Thai would ever lose face by buying the correct size.....

Quick turn over = quick cash! But for who, that is the question?

_{Do they make them that small?}

Candy is dandy but sex won't rot the teeth!

This is a call for desperation. Just beat the suspects up until he admits to the crime. Then, the lawyer can see him. This is a normal standard procedure in Thailand.

Could be the reason for denying the Lawers visit!

"My what big ears you have"

"The better to hear you with, my dear"

"My what big eyes you have"

"The better to see you with, my dear"

"My what big teeth you have"

"The better to eat you with, my dear"

This pretty sums up whether or not Mr. Russel will respond to the invite to answer questions.

The US isn't really a democracy.

You just have 2 almost identical parties passing the baton every 8 years.

Where there are perceived policy differences (climate change, abortion, taxes) - the people following their party do so like drones sticking to the party line on those issues and thinking the followers of the other party idiots for choosing the wrong side out of a sum total of 2.

Lobbyists and cash donations set policy because getting elected is basically a money game and the chance of any other parties participating is basically zero.

And then - every now & again, the guy with the least votes becomes President.

A fine system indeed.

Guess you arent American....

Every 4 years we have elections for our president....and for many other officials. We vote.

And no, people do not follow like drones....we vote for whomever we feel better suited to govern along our believes

Lobbying and cash donations are controlled....in Thailand corruption is a normal part of daily life.

We are a democracy....we dont do coups or military takeovers. We have rules, we follow them.

We have a constitution and we protect it with our lives. Thailand has meaningless paper.

We have choices and freedom....Thailand has neither

From a fellow American, "Right On."

Pedro01 wrote, "And then - every now & again, the guy with the least votes becomes President."

Our method of elections was established and electoral delegates (electoral colledge) were selected to represent the voting majority of their district. Each delegate has one vote which was delivered to the US Capitol via horse and carrage or other transportation means until the invent of the telegraph. The aggregate of the delegate votes for a particular Presidental Candidate determines the election of the President. Normally this process follows the popular vote very closely, however there has been a small few cases where the Electoral votes differ from the popular vote. I admit that our election system is outdated and needs to move into the digital age but this system has been in place since 1776, it works, and is unlikely to change.

On a different note, the US Military has no political power, is sworn to uphold the Constitution and obey the oders of the Commander In Chief (President). Therefore any attempt to overthrow the government including a coup is treason.

Without US and Japanese investments Thailand will move back to the stone age.

It's still there!!!!

It's work to actually drive a car. Most Thais do not drive the car, rather the car drives them. They just point it in a general direction. As for motor bike riders they are the most dangerous, inconsiderate and rude drivers along with the tuk tuk drivers!

"The attacks showed that martial law could not be lifted, said Army Lieutenant General Kampanart Ruddit, who is responsible for the Bangkok area."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/01/us-thailand-bombs-idUSKBN0L51NF20150201

False Flag anyone?

The C.I.A. must have taught them something.

BTW, where is the CCTV footage?

The mother wasn't able to procure Laotian girls for prostitution. We are left with the question, would she have lodged the complaint if she had been able to do so and pay back the loan?

When will these state officials identified in the skim books be publicly arrested, indicted and tried?

Are you living in Thailand or LA-LA land?[/quote

Same, same!!!!

It's heartbreaking to see Thailand go down this road. Those poor kids.

Yes, it is heartbreaking to see those poor kids, shooting and killing each other or throwing stones at innocent people.

These arrogant, poor kids will be the future citizens of Thailand.............

Are you happy with this situation?

At least this is an attempt by the government to tell them what is right and wrong.

Will they listen?

I doubt it very much.

I have a suggestion. Why don't they actually have school, teach the three R's and science, require the kids to actually learn before they can pass, and develop an educated society that can do something with a computer other than play games?

The idea that everyone passes is teaching the kids corruption and dishonesty from the start.

School is for teaching, not for political or religious indoctrination.

Students know thecore values by rote memory but can't speak a word of English or any other language properly!

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I am a farang from the US, and do not see threat to Thailand face because US has a few representitives to convey their thoughts! I agree Thailand should be able to conduct their bussiness with out actual interferance from outside influence. But, as far as that democratically Govt that took office, that was a complete joke! No one from the rural village did much of anything without being paid Payments and threats won the last election, and although this only my opinion and thoughts, I'm glad to see the military step in and help sort out a certain family from power. Sometimes you have spank the kids to get them listen, and I hope all goes with eyes wide open and see why this govt had to take over, and maybe they can now have a real democratically run election. The general is simply trying to rid out some of the riff raff, and he is doing it the only way it can realisticley be done! Again all this is my opinion!

And it's an incredibly patronising one at that. You're suggesting the Bangkok and southern elite are the only ones with the intelligence and integrity to vote honestly. No, you're not just patronising, you're a patronising fool.

Seriously you are from the USA and speak such pigeon? Get for fu__ing real and stop your trolling!

I thought the exact same thing.

Me too!

Agree with him. Thailand does not need US interference. Sort your own country out first and then maybe countries where there are huge human rights issues.

Junk you are exactly that a piece of junk, comparing a military junta to a country that 240 years later still uses it original constitution and has never had a military coop. You are exactly that "junk"

Is this why so many from the Philippines have come to Thailand seeking a much higher wage than they can get at home?

Wages in Thailand are not high compared to most places, but much higher than in the Philippines.

The following is from wiki and 2014 statistics:

Just for a good comparison, the minimum wage for the Philippines is $1 per day in the non-plantation agricultural sector for the countryside. When working in the national capital, the minimum wage increases to about $2 per day. Unfortunately, when these minimum wages per day are quote for the non-agricultural sector, the agriculture wages are probably much lower and calculated based on the crop.

That is somewhere around 35-70 THB per day!

I would call the Philippines a "not so strong man"!!!

I think at the end of 2015 when ASEAN kicks into gear we will see a flood of people from the Philippines in Thailand seeking employment.

Unlike Thais, most Philippine people speak fairly good English..a requirement for ASEAN.

Just saying...

What you're saying is correct. They're hungrier and will set their sites on the tourism industry where English is an asset. And, going based what I've read and been told they'll work cheaper.