lostoday

Are you saying the following is not true?

I'm saying show me one credible source/link that refutes The Economist's article and blames the specifics of Yingluck's rice scheme failure on Abhisit or claims that the program, as implemented by Yingluck, was directly due to Abhisit's idea.

Perhaps then we can put this silliness to rest.

Yingluck had a rice subsidy scheme and so did Abhisit. To think any unelected government can charge another, out of power government for a policy they didn't like is not realistic or legal. Perhaps now we can put an end to this silliness.

Percent performance is not really significantly informative without a detailed reference to the investment vehicles that made the returns possible. It's like telling us you had good noodle soup but not where or when.

a detailed reference concerning my investments would require to write a dissertation. but even then most people wouldn't understand what's it all about and sometimes i have strong doubts whether i understand it myself.

One guy talks about investments only available to people who live in the States (this is a Thai forum ) now you have good investments but they are too complicated to discuss. This is not helping me a lot. I'm cash heavy. The money keeps coming in and I'm dumping it into CDs at less that 2% interest and even my Bloomberg guy tells me 2 or 3% is going to be tops for the next 10 years. What to do?

yields are a matter of taking risks. no risk, no reward. high risk, high yields and sometimes... high losses. i wouldn't recommend my method of investing to anybody who is without 10-15 years experience investing in a variety of markets and assets.

So If yesterday I wanted to buy US treasuries 10 year note what would you have advised? That is the kind of thing you are talking about? Or do you mean junk bonds?

Blablablablablabla..

The reality is that Thai economy is going down the drain. It is not because of the rise of the dollar.

Today I heard from suppliers that the reason that prices went up (exanple from 18 THB to 45 THB /pc) were due to the rise of the Chinese Dollar... Now we start to import supplies for ourselves and don't give a $#!t about our lying supplier.

Thailand is living on a giant soap bubble. It is what I already said in 2010 !!!

I predict a dollar rate of at least 39 THB on the dollar before this year ends... Prove me that I am wrong !!!

hmmmmm.......

Wow you would think the Fed made an announcement today. What a shock.

A 1000 B/month , is 2 weeks food , 12.000 B a year is as much as my car insurance. 1,5 % ? So the banks earn more off my money than me ( not even considdering fractional banking !!). And that's only on the mandatory 800 k. And yes that hurts !

Don't you only need to keep the money in the bank for 3 months a year? So why talk about yearly expenses? What else would you do with the money that makes more interest for 3 months?

I really detest banks. I hate to keep my 800 k there , but what can you do with it the other 9 months ?

Slushing it back and forth to Europe and back , exchanging it in other currencies or real money is not an option , so you're kind of stuck with it for a whole year.

I used to get 2,8 % , but now it's much less because of the cuts in interest of the BoT.

So yes I lose like the cost of car insurance or 14 days of food each month. I guess it is a sort of Thai tax for being on retirement extension, only it's the banks , again, that win.

Since EU bank interest is about the same as Thailand I think you just like to complain.

I would like to know what the ambassador said. I was taught "Sticks and stones may break my bones will never hurt me"

So if the ambassador was only giving an opinion how was he interfering with Thailands domestic problems? Opinions are opinions actions acting on them is another thing.

Sorry to be pedantic, but insert "but words" between "bones" and "will"!

Doesn't the ambassador realise that if he doesn't agree with Thailand's PM, he is not allowed to say so?

Otherwise he will be accused of "not understanding" and possibly a suitable case for "attitude adjustment"

He is supposed to say so if not they might think he is Chines and we couldn't have that now could we?

Your two adjectives described Obama, not the GOP candidates. If you watched the GOP debate, the next president was standing in that group.

Denial isn't just a river in Egypt.

Hillary Clinton 11/8

Jeb Bush 9/2

Donald Trump 11/2

Yeah right.

Fox News odds

Yeah right http://www.paddypower.com/bet/politics/other-politics/us-politics?ev_oc_grp_ids=791149

Wow if this goes through, it is a good reason for the previous government to release their dogs of war again. This is serious money. It would really cripple them and make it hard for them to put money in the next election. This could certainly end in a paid for uprising by the previous government because this hits them where it hurts.

We do need to see if this will really happen (them paying money) but if this is really pushed it could make the previous government want to strike back.

Perhaps the gamble is that they can break the Shinawatra's without starting big trouble?

Have they considered what may happen if they jail Yingluck should she not be able/ refuse to pay? Are they strong enough to hold down the country and it's population, outside of Bangkok?

I think we can take it as another indication that this time they are playing for keeps.

We've already established they don't give two hoots what the international community thinks - ousting an elected Prime Minister and replacing her government with a military Junta, and then fining her 10 Billion Quid! The police awarding themselves that reward money pales into insignificance.

It could well be that they think they can break the Shinawatra's with this, perhaps they have seen what not breaking them leads too.

I think the army thinks they are strong enough to hold them down, and a real confrontation with the army would see the red-shirts as the looser. However if they start a bombing cam pain or something like that it could make the army back off. But they might loose a lot of support if they start bombing people.

As you said looks like they are playing for keeps this time. This could get bad depending on what action the red-shirts take. If they go face to face with the army they loose. If they start a bombing campaign in BKK the people loose. I don't see how they can overthrow the army.

I wouldn't be do sure. Most of the army is conscript. Loyalties will be uncertain, particularly as they are conscripted predominantly from amongst the working poor. Middle class kids are apparently surprisingly lucky in the draft lottery. I don't think it even exists for rich kids.

Most of the army lacks organic mobility (their own transport). They are basically unable to operate in any strength away from where they are based.

In terms of its tactical ability and leadership, who knows, I suspect it may be an empty shell.

If the reds have any sense ( a big if I accept) they won't bomb or burn Bangkok. Just ensure that the junta's writ doesn't extend beyond the big cities (essentially Bangkok).

The army has 6000 medium to heavy trucks that could be used for troop transport.

I think Mr. Prayut should just ignore remarks , or at least get some PR advisor well skilled in world politics.

He is a General turned Prime Minister , obviously he is not very skilled in diplomacy.

That said, he has a difficult , if not impossible job to do, to keep peace in a troubled , developing country.

Do you really think that he can eradicate corruption, which goes from top to bottom of Thai society since hundreds or thousands of years ??

If you think that, you must be kidding yourself, it is impossible.... In the best of the cases it will take generations to achieve some results.

btw , I smell some hypocrisy here.... Are the great western democracies the same who lied to the public about WMD in Iraq, and wage war , despite ( at least ) 50% of the public being against that war ?

This is just one example of how perfect our western democracies are.

I am not apologist, but... Before pointing the finger, be sure that your hands are clean.

You wrote, "I am not apologist, but... Before pointing the finger, be sure that your hands are clean."

Why? Does it make the others offense less wrong? When you tell a policeman that a speeding car just drove by when he is writing you a ticket for speeding does he let you go? Does the cop not wearing a helmet writing you a ticket for not wearing a helmet let you off?

​You may feel the person is a hypocrite but that has nothing to do with the rightness or wrongness of his view of something else now does it?

Well, i tend to never discuss with Police, both in Thailand and in my own country, for good reasons, i think.

My point, which i think you understand very well, is that we are foreigners, we are well aware that our politicians are.... Not perfect, to use an euphemism.... Yet , some of us feel compelled to expect perfection from Thai politicians.

Of course you are free to criticise, and i am free to sit on the fence.

The only place I discuss it is Thai Visa. If I open my mouth at home I might as well go outside and sleep with the dog. My wife, her mother and older sister all have completely different opinions. I'm on the side of the older sister. So I just shut up.

Let me summarize the debate participants in two adjectives: incompetent and unAmerican.

It reminded me of the movie "12 Angry Men" without the plot, the morals or the justice.

Your two adjectives described Obama, not the GOP candidates. If you watched the GOP debate, the next president was standing in that group.

Denial isn't just a river in Egypt.

I think Mr. Prayut should just ignore remarks , or at least get some PR advisor well skilled in world politics.

He is a General turned Prime Minister , obviously he is not very skilled in diplomacy.

That said, he has a difficult , if not impossible job to do, to keep peace in a troubled , developing country.

Do you really think that he can eradicate corruption, which goes from top to bottom of Thai society since hundreds or thousands of years ??

If you think that, you must be kidding yourself, it is impossible.... In the best of the cases it will take generations to achieve some results.

btw , I smell some hypocrisy here.... Are the great western democracies the same who lied to the public about WMD in Iraq, and wage war , despite ( at least ) 50% of the public being against that war ?

This is just one example of how perfect our western democracies are.

I am not apologist, but... Before pointing the finger, be sure that your hands are clean.

You wrote, "I am not apologist, but... Before pointing the finger, be sure that your hands are clean."

Why? Does it make the others offense less wrong? When you tell a policeman that a speeding car just drove by when he is writing you a ticket for speeding does he let you go? Does the cop not wearing a helmet writing you a ticket for not wearing a helmet let you off?

​You may feel the person is a hypocrite but that has nothing to do with the rightness or wrongness of his view of something else now does it?

performance - 3 percent from January.

Far away from the + 7 percent I did in 2014.

percent performance is not really significantly informative without a reference currency. living in Thailand i express my performance in

-Thai Baht because my lion share of expenses are THB,

-US-Dollars because my investments are mainly USD denominated,

-€URo because of nostalgic feelings and a small percentage of € assets,

these performances show considerable (even daily) differences because of this year's high currency fluctuations, e.g. presently

THB +13.79% (peak in may ~22%)

USD +6.83% (peak in april ~11%)

EUR +9.81% (peak in april ~19%)

Percent performance is not really significantly informative without a detailed reference to the investment vehicles that made the returns possible. It's like telling us you had good noodle soup but not where or when.

a detailed reference concerning my investments would require to write a dissertation. but even then most people wouldn't understand what's it all about and sometimes i have strong doubts whether i understand it myself.

One guy talks about investments only available to people who live in the States (this is a Thai forum ) now you have good investments but they are too complicated to discuss. This is not helping me a lot. I'm cash heavy. The money keeps coming in and I'm dumping it into CDs at less that 2% interest and even my Bloomberg guy tells me 2 or 3% is going to be tops for the next 10 years. What to do?

Low interest rate on the mandatory 800 K , hurts !

Difference between 1 and 3% interest is what? About $30 per month?

A 1000 B/month , is 2 weeks food , 12.000 B a year is as much as my car insurance. 1,5 % ? So the banks earn more off my money than me ( not even considdering fractional banking !!). And that's only on the mandatory 800 k. And yes that hurts !

Don't you only need to keep the money in the bank for 3 months a year? So why talk about yearly expenses? What else would you do with the money that makes more interest for 3 months?

performance - 3 percent from January.

Far away from the + 7 percent I did in 2014.

percent performance is not really significantly informative without a reference currency. living in Thailand i express my performance in

-Thai Baht because my lion share of expenses are THB,

-US-Dollars because my investments are mainly USD denominated,

-€URo because of nostalgic feelings and a small percentage of € assets,

these performances show considerable (even daily) differences because of this year's high currency fluctuations, e.g. presently

THB +13.79% (peak in may ~22%)

USD +6.83% (peak in april ~11%)

EUR +9.81% (peak in april ~19%)

Percent performance is not really significantly informative without a detailed reference to the investment vehicles that made the returns possible. It's like telling us you had good noodle soup but not where or when.

Unfortunately, Thailand has always been, and always will be the small-minded, corrupt and greedy, backwards little culture that it is. Anything else would be a genetic impossibility.

You can throw all the money, education, and laws you want at it...but you can't change a cultures' DNA.

Lying, cheating, and stealing (with a smile) has always been the 'silent' mantra. Any attempt at outside influence is just be a waste of time. We, as 'outsiders' sometimes find it 'cute or amusing' how the locals go about it. But at the end of the day, there is nothing 'cute' about any of it. Facts are...T.I.T. will always be...T.I.T.

Do you think people would have said the same about Germany and Japan in the 1930's? People and cultures can change. China is changing now. Cuba is changing now. Cambodia changed. America is changing. Detroit used to be one of the richest cities in the USA and is now a 3rd world ghetto. I would think the only genetic impossibility is you being open minded.

Article here

http://blogs.fco.gov.uk/markkent/2015/09/15/international-day-of-democracy/

From the comments of that article, is this totally apt snippet, funnily enough, made before the General's comments! Ironic.

"I am reminded about what someone wrote in Foreign Affairs journal earlier this year: an outsider’s criticism of authoritarian systems risks creating defensive nationalism; it hardly helps to generate indigenous liberalism.

The Magna Carta was brought about by English barons."

That's why nobody said anything to Pol Pot.

I think it mainly the thais & the PM himself who don't understand or reporting incorrectly :-)

How I want to see this Junta & current political opposition crash & burn & someone with substance step into the limelight ...

What would do Obama if the Thai Ambassador has some rant how the political system in USA is rotten and not democratic and they should do a military coup.

I guess he would get the boot into his back side......

Here it is the same.....

Happens every day at the UN and the USA still pays the rent for the UN building so no you are incorrect. One of the differences between a country with free speech and one without.

The kids have to fail. Make grades real and kids accountable for their actions. Wont fix everything but a great start

Finland went from bad to the best education system in the world by eliminating tests among other things. How do you explain that? Finns don't fail Perhaps you are in error? Maybe? Could be class size and teacher proficiency are more important than tests?

• Finland does not give their kids standardized tests.
• Individual schools have curriculum autonomy; individual teachers have classroom autonomy.
• It is not mandatory to give students grades until they are in the 8th grade.

All teachers are required to have a master's degree. Oh no!!! No backpackers. What will we do?

Finland has no private schools. My, who will tell Somchai; he better support public schools if he wants his kids educated?

Average class size in Finland first and second grades is 19; in grades three through nine, it is 21.

Finnish schools don't assign homework, because it is assumed that mastery is attained in the classroom.

Compulsory school in Finland doesn't begin until children are 7 years old.

Thailand educators really should read about Finland.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leonie-haimson/post_1650_b_816043.html

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Finland

admissions to academic upper schools are based on GPA, and in some cases academic tests and interviews.

Finland doesn't have a system completely devoid of testing and evaluation. They do however keep it to a minimum...

"In Finland, by contrast, the few tests students take are low stakes, said Finnish educator, Jari Lavonen in a presentation on Thursday in New York. Assessments are used as a tool for professional development and to help teachers gauge student growth, never for accountability.

Yet, despite a lack of practice, when Finnish students do take standardized exams, they tend to excel. The country ranks consistently near the top in math, reading and science in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which is a standardized test taken by students in dozens of countries. The Finnish school system has become the envy of less successful nations around the world, including the United States."

http://lessonsfromabroad.tumblr.com/post/35845971469/standardized-tests-a-foreign-concept-in-finland

My point was the poster above kagan was 100% wrong. If Thailand wants to improve education the emphasis should be on teacher education, smaller class sizes and stop the foolish starting age of 3 for school and get rid of private schools. All teachers in Finland have a masters degree Thailand would do well to mimic this and pay the teachers accordingly.

Jury still out there. USA economy improving but not great. The employment gains really not up to expectation. There really no inflation at the moment and a strong dollar is bad for the exporters at time when other competing countries have a weak currency and global demand is still very soft. Doubt September and possibly kick the can to next year.

Almost certainly will raise this month. 25 basis points, from nearly zero for years now, won't even be noticed and is long overdue. Even if they raised it 50 basis points, which they won't...it would still be historically very low. A hike will bring some stability back to the markets and also prepare for further rate hikes next year. Then watch the baht crumble!

People suck and never change.

Blackbirding has been going on for over 200 years now.

Blackbirding is a new one on me. Please explain.

Or do you mean Shanghaid

The British Navy called impressment and the Americans called it the draft.

Low interest rate on the mandatory 800 K , hurts !

Difference between 1 and 3% interest is what? About $30 per month?

You have a lot of questions. Check out lendacademy.com

Its annual reporting though not quarterly.

LC invited lender customers to purchase IPO shares prior to going public last year at $15. Jumped to $25 first day and I pulled $2700 off the top. I appreciated that gesture to clients. Profits are starting to improve for the company and they have exceeded earnings so far. The stock should do well over the next year. You might not get 7% but you won't lose your money either. Drop a few grand on 36 month notes and see how you feel in a few months. I use their automated investing feature that buys notes on standards preset by me and then reinvests my interest and principal payments. You can liquidate but that needs more explanation.

I believe you have to be a resident of a state in the USA to participate and have a US bank account and mailing address. Correct?

http://www.lendacademy.com/lending-club-review/

1. Must be at least 18 years of age and have a valid social security number.
2. Have an annual gross income of at least $70,000 and a net worth (not including home, home furnishings and cars) of at least $70,000 or a net worth of at least $250,000 (with the same exclusions). Residents of California and Kentucky have slightly different net worth requirements.
3. Reside in one of the approved states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, Nevada, New York, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming. (there are options for people who live in several other states – you can invest via the Lending Club trading platform). With the recent Lending Club IPO, there is a possibility for these payment-dependent notes to become available to investors in all 50 states. You can read more about this topic here.
4. You are only allowed to purchase notes up to 10% of your net worth.

It was a lot like Thai Visa with all the ad hominem attacks. I'd say about 7th grade level. It is amazing these people are in control of large amounts of assets and power. It could have used a bunch people mumbling, "here here."

Show him this. I think it is the right letter. It's from Bangkok Bank for an extension.

Trump said he would not make a treaty with a guy who was yelling, "Death to America" and he would watch very carefully a nutty Korean (my characterization) who has nuclear bombs.