Utley

You are living in a dream world. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck - its a duck.

The U.S. taxpayer.

Thailand is the hub of vertical smiles and I for one am very grateful.

I'm very surprised the debate lasted 30 seconds!

Ethiopia launches 4G mobile service in the capital - Reuters Sat Mar 21, 2015

Wow - in two years Thailand will be as modern as Ethiopia.

This is Thailand - be happy and smile.

Wait - let me get a pad and paper so I can write this marketing strategy down. This is Thailand - smile and be happy!

Democracy is like world peace - too much of it is not a good thing. This is Thailand - smile and be happy.

I believe everything that the PM says - smile and be happy!

The wife and I just got back from 3 days in Bangkok. The popular hotel we normally stay at in Silom was nearly empty.

Now that I've been here awhile I pity the Thai people. Most are decent folk but they have been bamboozled their entire lives.

What is the purpose of this OP other than to stir the pot about the US? As an American I don't give a damn what happens to other countries so a good plan would be to stay home and let others rot.

Brilliant plan. Cause the problem, then run away from it.

"Cause the problem"? Are you from this planet"

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Typical US foreign policy. Schizophrenic. They've no problem with Egypt's Junta (who hates the US) or many others but love to drive their friends into their enemy's arms. Thailand does more trade with China and this short-sighted policy will cause Thailand to bond more closely with China to the detriment of both Thailand and the US. If the US State Dept. knew the first thing about Thais, they would know you don't get anywhere with ultimatums. Very disappointing.

Scholars rank US Secretary of State John Kerry dead last in terms of effectiveness.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/in-the-loop/wp/2015/02/05/scholars-rank-kerry-dead-last-in-terms-of-effectiveness/

And this is from a newspaper sympathetic to the Obama administration.

Right or wrong , Egypt Junta is keeping the Muslim Brotherhood and all that they are capable of, out of power, the same with many dictatorships the US supports. Thailand doesn't have scary terrorists that need a iron fist to keep them in line with a Junta, just a load of Farmers , Factory workers and housewives who want to vote for their own Government

" the same with many dictatorships the US supports" - not "supports" but rather "tolerates".

The general rule of thumb is to not wax a new car for a year in order to let the paint completely cure.

How will the farmers repay the loan sharks if they don't put in a rice crop?

What is the main reason visitors come to Thailand?

If the visitor is male, he is probably coming for a vacation full of sex.

If the visitor is female, she is probably coming to ruin the male visitor's sex vacation.

The following views were recently expressed by The Wall Street Journal in a 2 Feb 2015 editorial:

"The U.S. offered muted criticism of Thailand’s military coup last May—no doubt because the country is designated a “major non-NATO ally” and the coup plotters promised to restore democracy quickly. But the junta’s decision last month to abandon political reconciliation and impeach former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra for alleged corruption has prompted the Obama administration to speak up.

This is the first time I believe what the BOT is saying; rather sad that.

Enigma

Can someone point out what peacekeeping missions and to where was thailand involved or how much financially thailand contributed to those peacekeeping or any other missions

Thailand has been in many. You need to not be lazy and look it up yourself. Some maybe UN peace keeping mission. And money is not always the most important thing to sacrifice, but there is a high risk of losing your life during these deployments.

According to Sorpong Peou of the Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada:

"Thailand did not begin contributing forces to UN peacekeeping operations until 1991 and since the downsizing of its contribution to UNAMID (in 2012) has made only a modest contribution; 31 uniformed peacekeepers as of 21 May, 2014. Defense spending per troop: $17,211; global average per troop $70,000."

CLICK HERE to read the full article: http://www.providingforpeacekeeping.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Thailand-Peou-21-May-2014.pdf

Thanks for the links. As I read, Thailand has sent many troops, more than the 31 quoted here. If you read further on the 1 page and look on the second page, you will see that it was a significant amount.

Again lives are on the line with these missions and they are more than any some financial figures can place.

I see one reason why it the US backs Thaksin. He sent a large contingency to Iraq. Scratching each other back. My guess is that is one of the trump card he pulled. But than any questioning of the killings of the Muslim under his watch or the many judicial killings of suspected drug runners are not pursued. As proof, we can see that USA would like to use Thailand as a tool and any other country for that matter.

31 troops is what they were contributing as of 21 May 2014.

We change our 3M filter every 3 months.

Can someone point out what peacekeeping missions and to where was thailand involved or how much financially thailand contributed to those peacekeeping or any other missions

Thailand has been in many. You need to not be lazy and look it up yourself. Some maybe UN peace keeping mission. And money is not always the most important thing to sacrifice, but there is a high risk of losing your life during these deployments.