trogers

The Thai Christian churches of the Protestant denomination offer a very different approach. I have been in a few of them and the Thai version intentionally avoids the excesses. It explains why a small but growing number of Thais are interested in the Churches which focus on non material activities and emphasize equality and spiritual aspects.

Even in the Thai version of Islam, there is an absence commercial business. No idols, no relics, no payment for indulgences.

Because Jesus himself drove traders and moneychangers from the temple accusing them of turning the temple into a den of thieves.

For 5.000 Baht I offer Buddhist heaven

6.500 Baht Muslim heaven, for the 12 virgins 1500 Baht each

10.000 Baht for roman catholic heaven (with Vatican it is a bit more expensive to bribe the right angles)

100% success rate, no complains. Full guarantee and refund if it does not work as expected.

Other religions, drop me an email.

Stairway to Heaven or a Super Slider to Hell?

An election campaign promise that she HAD TO honour ?

Politicians around the world will be shaking their heads and muttering under their breath " thank God that won't catch on here. "

Like Obama care? ??

A mirror image of the rice scheme.

Perhaps thailand should mirror image their remedy.

And file charges against Suthep, for holding the banks at ransom to stop the elected government from aquiring funds that fulfil it's responsibility to care for it's poorest people.

Which resulted in the deaths of 16 people.

Are banks' main fiduciary duty to depositors or to a caretaker government who is prevent by law to put the country into more debts?

The banks were in fact OVER CAPITALIZED and needed borrowers to sustain profits from loan interest charges. There was no economic reason for the banks to reject government loans other than the threat of physical harm by the PDRC.

How about a govt not authorised to go into debt? A bank can lend but the loan cannot be honoured by the country, because an illegal act makes a contract void.

So a bank holding lots of cash of depositors can go out and make insecured loans to any Tom, Dick and Harry? If so, the friends and relatives of bank management would be at the front of the queue.

Over the last 13 years or so I have seen an improvement in Toilets, especially in Bangkok. The squatters are fewer than before and cleaner. I still get frustrated when I see foot prints on a western style toilet though. As Thais are getting bigger in general, I certainly a big ass, can we see bigger toilets seats and ones that are a little higher. Then I will be very pleased.

What is bigger? You mean you need a more elongated bowl, don't you?

Lee Kuan Yew is laughing ?

He spent 50 years proving the opposite.

>>The ruling Pheu Thai Party had made the rice-pledging scheme one of its main policies, hence the case cannot be taken to court, the lawyers said.<< Quote

Has to be the most strange defense-strategy ever:

We promised to rob the people blind, so we had to follow through

Crying all the way to the bank??

There are numerous roads to Rome. Why take the route to self-enrichment?

<A recent study shows that 90% of workers are currently supporting another person that has no income>

I would call this unemployment, but the current gov wants to keep the unemployment number at 1.5 % however it should be about 35%

The world over, a person not seeking employment is not counted as unemployed.

You seem to be applying first world standards to "the world over".

If there is no incentive to work, and no social benefits attached to registering as unemployed, then being "counted" as unemployed has no value either.

Problem with Thailand is the absence of disincentive to remain jobless.

The ARMY needs a lot of budget. ......

Amazing post from a newbie ??? Target the army---I wonder why ?? another one joins the bashers.

Of course it is the army that created this mess---ha ha ha-----go and have a strong coffee.

The Thai military budget has never suffered from a poor economy.

And it was the combination of the 1-2 years of PRCD/Democrat anti-government protests and the military coup that adversely affected the Thai economy beginning in mid-2013 to now. Compare the military budget to Thailand's Annual GDP rate. Where do you see the military taking cuts in its budget?

Thai Military Spending.jpg

GDPAnnualGrowthRate.jpg

That's for National Security. Now show us the annual budget figures for education and health.

Would depends on the state of base things rise from.

Would there be GDP growth when a dictatorship rises from a state of anarchy?

<A recent study shows that 90% of workers are currently supporting another person that has no income>

I would call this unemployment, but the current gov wants to keep the unemployment number at 1.5 % however it should be about 35%

The world over, a person not seeking employment is not counted as unemployed.

The last time I was on a train it was nothing but a hole in the flour, so no need to clean a hole in the flour.

Who says there would be cleaning? They need 6 months to call bids for cutting bigger holes.

When one looks at minimum wages in fully developed nations, they appear much higher than Thailand's minimum wage. The majority of posters here prefer to keep the wages low.....but that is only of benefit to them. Why else require Thais be kept at poverty level? Most of us settled in Thailand because it was economical. Thailand is moving forward. If police receive a fair wage, it may reduce corruption. Comparing Thailand to Cambodia or Myanmar is unfair. Why not compare to Malaysia or Singapore? Again, it is most likely that it affects our lifestyle if Thai wages increase. God forbid that the Thai middle class earns the same as we do. As for Thai labor being inefficient, that is only a statement made by people who are employing uneducated Thais. There are many honest, hard working ethical Thai people working in various professions. And for common labourers, people who tout Myanmar have absolutely no experience or knowledge of working with the common labourers. Again, Myanmar has many capable, honest, ethical people working in various professions, and it is only a matter of time until their wages rise, much to the chagrin of foreigners who wish to be richer, live cheaper, and feel superior to their adopted countrymen.

You are wrong on many levels.

If Thailand can sustain a higher minimum daily salary, and still attract investment in manufacturing and retain or grow employment in that sector, then I fully support it...but I have already seen and experienced what higher salaries do if they are not coupled with technical training and skills transfer that will be needed when those minimum salary, low skilled roles disappear over the borders.

What do you propose when all the jobs disappear because Thailand prices itself out of the market and unemployment is 15 - 20%?

Thailand is not Singapore, and importing smart foreigners to train locals and skill transfer is almost non-existent.

Simply saying "raise the minimum wage" in isolation of where Thailand is located is ignorant.

If you want to pay your staff more, go ahead and pay it. No one is stopping you...

Need an office boy at Bt600/day? I am an expert with the copier...

Why are there so many Myanmar and others working here.

Because they work!

It is quite obvious you have never done business in Myanmar

Wrong. Was there for the construction of Traders Hotel in 1995.

Give them the increase.

I moved manufacturing to Vietnam 2 years ago. We cannot satisfy the Clients wanting design, tooling and manufacturing in Vietnam that once manufactured in Thailand.

Primary reason is cost. Thailand is at least 20-30% more expensive, but also quality and manufacturing times are better in Vietnam.

Thailand is complacent, expensive and slowly losing business to other countries.

...so, let's speed it up and grant the increase.

I will hope they soon develop robots for you to use then you can get rid of all those pesky workers that deserve a decent living. Its profiteers like you will soon ruin the world. You will produce all those great and glorious products but nobody sadly will be left with money to buy them. For the few people like you its a race to the top of the profits pile and finding places where you can operate cheaply and increase said profits even more. Nobody cares about the rest of humanity its just a case of using people as cheaply as possible and then disposing of them with little or no pension. We no longer care about our fellow man all we care about is how cheap we can get him to work and how long he will last before being discarded. Free trade has killed the whole world from a workers standpoint.

Vietnam has welcomed us at every level - from Investment and tax break levels, to local Governments and local communities where we give hundreds of people technical training and jobs and lift their standard of living and provide education and healthcare to the local communities. In short, they really value us and want us. Don't blame me for Vietnam investing in the right areas.

So, thanks for your backhanded concerns, but frankly, you don't have a clue what you are talking about.

I repeat, give Thailand the increase to give them a "decent living"...and see what your misguided and ignorant decision does for Thailand.

I'm real torn about this issue as I am closely involved in both sides of the equation. When BKK minimum wage was increased to 300 baht/day, a lot of factories closed up and either relocated or outsourced their production. For instance, footwear manufacturers Nike, Adidas and Ecco moved to Indonesia and Vietnam. Thailand actually began to record a measureable unemployment rate.

At the same time, 8000 baht/mo is very difficult to live on. Most workers at minimum wage work 6 days/week and often as much as 68 hours/week to bring their income up to close to 12,000/mo. It's not good for the physical and mental health of the workers to be working this much.

If the minimum wage were to be raised again (the last raise was 2 years ago) I am pretty sure the next industry that will flee Thailand will be garment manufacturing. Most garment workers are at or close to minimum wage.

Other industries like auto, energy, semi-conductors and plastic injection have a larger number of skilled workers, so a minimum wage increase doesn't hurt them as bad.

The loss of unskilled jobs would be a big blow to the economy. The end result would be higher unemployment, but some unskilled workers in heavy manufacturing or tech being paid a more liveable wage.

In a perfect world, I would like to see the average Thai earn more than 300 baht per day. Most people would.

But it's not a perfect world. Neighboring countries offer better incentives, easier administration and much lower salaries. And it should be noted that the technical people are equal to or better than Thailand and they actually want to work.

So, as much as I like Thailand, why would I make it harder, more expensive, endure people that are not motivated and pay more for the privilege just to give the Thai's a 20% increase?

I'm really not sure how a 20% minimum salary increase would tip a lot of companies to move elsewhere, but my gut feel from those I speak to, is quite a few.

All the emotion that 300 baht is not enough to live on, is just that...emotion, from people that don't own businesses and can't see the big picture....

Be careful what you wish for.

I am sure what is being discussed here was hotly debated in the early '80s in the US and EU, when China first opened.

Somehow, toilet seats are now made in China. Wonder why not in the US and Europe?

My wife is working as cassiere in hotel, but managment wont take more people, so she has to do overtime 3 hours every day on 29,50 BHT/hour.I find this crazy.Not even 1 euro/per hour overtime.

She has the option to change jobs. Why stay for crazy pay?

The Red shirt's are the problem! Under Article 44 the PM should have them all rounded up and put to work doing earthworks for the new Chinese railroad. Keep em busy for a few years!

Also the detail is in the headline - "Worse" worse for who ? I'd say generally good for Thailand and keeping Thaksins red terrorists and PTP under control while allowing the much needed reform process to continue without obstruction, so yes "worse" for Thaksin and his mob keeping their mouths shut and off the streets but "generally better" for the vast majority of Thai people who obey the law and don't want violent mobs on the streets.

what about the yellows tearorists that closed down BOTH airporst and destroyed gevenrment house ?????????????? What about suthep killing 900 people?????Stop being so onesided.

Finally new information. Please contact the UDD immediately about those 900 deaths. Also Robert A. and the ICC.

Mind you, with 93 deaths in 2010, 57 or so still missing (2012 figures) I wonder who the other 750 are.

Those dead or missing during the crackdown on drugs over a decade ago?

Worse than using your armed red shirts to kill and maim anti-govt protesters?

You speak about 2009?

PTP was born in 2009?

Labour unions do not read. They did not know Thailand is already facing losses in industry due to relocating to neighbouring countries.

Typical mentality when cutting down forests. Realisation only comes when the whole mountain is bald, like in Petchabun.

Yes,

How dare the workers demand a wage they can live on and support their families.

Good grief, next thing you know they'll be asking for a standard of living that is above the poverty line.

Do these people have any grasp on reality?

You are the poor, the minions, shut up and do what you are told.

Tell that to LG who just shut down TV production here and moved to Vietnam

That still does not justify paying appalling wages.

If a companies profit margin depends on keeping it's labour force in poverty then something is wrong.

Both in terms of efficiency and morality.

I'm sure a moralist like yourself would never buy anything made in China then, where workers are paid even less and exploited even more.

Probably not. He would buy US-made toilet paper to support those US workers earning Bt300 per hour.

As already said not a ghetto but run down due to poor maintenance in tropical climate. The constant construction of huge condo complexes has surely created an oversupply.

Oversupply is the devil causing high vacancy rates. And this country has no system to penalise owners leaving their units vacant, nor developers leaving their units unsold.

Surely if a developer has built a condo and only sold a few units they must be paying a great deal in maintenance fees for the unsold units. This must be a big incentive to sell their units.

? try reading the posts on grievances of co-owners, where the developers are not paying...

Prepare yourself for less security when living in a landed property.

I think Yingluck has become a bit of a side show these days.

People seem more interested in how much damage the new 'PM' is capable of inflicting on the country ??

Shame he will never be subject to the same courts as Yingluck

For what can I ask. For graft-busting, taking National park land back, making improvements in all areas and setting the conditions so that proper 'free and fair' elections can be held in 2016!!

I would like to see his charge sheet.

There will never be a charge sheet for Mr P, since he has already granted himself amnesty.

Just in case.....................

Just for interest I would like to see a printed record of hours of work (daily/weekly/monthly over 3 years)

as against Prayuths 8 months in charge.

To my thinking he has put in more work hours in 8 months than her 3 years.

He has communicated with the public 1,000 more times than her. A bonus he isn't missing from the country every week on some excuse for opting out of meetings and interviews.

Oh I am sure the block newbies will find a way around my post, sure not to comment on the items I posted.

But Yingluck beats Prayuth in hours spent in an aircraft.

And in shopping malls?