The Sound Trucks

[Gonzo the Face]

Is it just alzheimrs or do I recall an ordinance that these roving sound trucks were not to be used before 9Am or after 6PM....

or

does that apply to everyone other than those that might be put into office of some authority.???

Twenty minutes before 8Am on a Sunday morning is just too much, especially when they feel it prudent to stop out front and play, at apparently top volume, the entire message before moving on

Yea I know TIT

but why o why are Thais so naturally inconsiderate of others

Makes you wish the terminator would come out of an alley and blow the speakers off the roof of these trucks...

Gonzo

[Gonzo the Face]

Just as an aside to this electioneering thing..... whats with the Vote for Me sign with the guy standing chest deep in water????/

He waiting for a blow fish or something ??????

[Yorkshire Lass]

Hi Gonzo

My Thai friend told me that the guy chest height in water was 'evidence' that the candidate cared for the Chiang Mai people by visiting the stranded areas during the floods.

YL

[Gonzo the Face]

Hi Gonzo

My Thai friend told me that the guy chest height in water was 'evidence' that the candidate cared for the Chiang Mai people by visiting the stranded areas during the floods.

YL

Thai logic I guess

I didn't notice any other people chest deep in water...... they were the smart ones, they got out and were standing on the higher ground..... as the smart ones maybe the people should vote for this guy last.....

[mcgriffith]

Just pray for piranhas....

[cmsally]

One thing for certain I wouldn't vote for no. 5. He really did banner overkill on the moat!

[realthaideal]

Well, the #5 guy did overdo it, but it looks kind of cool too. And five is nice number to look at I suppose. It's almost dada, and beats looking at the candidate's face all the time. There are two different guys in the h2o actually. One is Boonlert Buranapakorn the CM Mayor, who is rerunning, and then I think the #3 guy. He boasts his strong work ethic n track record. Both he n Boonlert are working the 'man of the people' angle. That's all fair play and shows they were there surveying the flood damage and helping out. I was in The States that month n missed all the fun.

There's also the Babe Duantemduang. She gets my vote. Id' eat hmu kattah with her anytime. Right now they're trying to block her from running saying she incorrectly filed two papers for her candidacy. THat's after the election committee already approved her paperwork. Sounds a little bit of doublespeak and dirty politics. I know she's fighting it. She shouldn't take those TITs lying down.

The noise trucks - pretty sure they call 'em 'rot hae' are definitely very TITs, but they snarl traffic and make you listen to alot of noise as you choke back exhaust and struggle to bypass them. It's like someone figured out how to make the usual traffic troubles worse for special times of the year. But again, it's all the same everywhere: traffic, smoke, double parking, random stopping, why'd the Thai cross the road?, one guy pulls out randomly, watch me park for an hour etc. It's all good. At least I have a motosai and can weave in n out and not be stuck behind it all for 5-10 minutes at a time like the car drivers are.

[chanchao]

Heh, 30 minutes ago we was driving along the moat and my wife said the exact same thing: "Well there's a guy I would NEVER vote for." And it's quite strange how he managed to get permission to put up all those horrific red and white signs? The guy's name is Udom Nim See Seng.... so that's a pretty influential bunch of people I guess.

[Donnyboy]

how the hel_l does anyone know who to vote for, with just the billboards to look at. What about the candidates policies etc and what they intend to do if they are elected?

[chuchok]

how the hel_l does anyone know who to vote for, with just the billboards to look at. What about the candidates policies etc and what they intend to do if they are elected?

They should vote like I would.just vote for the best looking bird!

Yesterday around home,there was two sound trucks from different candidates following each other...about 5 metres apart...bloody funny.

[realthaideal]

"How the hel_l does anyone know who to vote for, with just the billboards to look at. What about the candidates policies etc and what they intend to do if they are elected?"

The billboards do have quotes and points of their records of civil service on them. Just not in English of course. You gotts to read Thai, yo. Beyond that you'd have to listen to the babble of the trucks and read the Thai papers to know what they stand for. What do politicians anywhere stand for anyway ??? Always say the same cr@p and then go and take care of themselves and their own.

Though Id' like to think any country's politicians are more truthful than those back in the good Ol' U.S. of A right now. Even Thailand's.

[PeaceBlondie]

When I saw those numbers placed all the way around the moat a thousand times, I assumed it was the biggest joke in Thailand. 555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555

Perhaps, like Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley in my youth, that's a message to all the voters to vote five times. Vote early, and vote often, especially if you're dead.

[Donnyboy]

how the hel_l does anyone know who to vote for, with just the billboards to look at. What about the candidates policies etc and what they intend to do if they are elected?

They should vote like I would.just vote for the best looking bird!

Yesterday around home,there was two sound trucks from different candidates following each other...about 5 metres apart...bloody funny.

that would be difficult in the western world!!

[realthaideal]

"I assumed it was the biggest joke in Thailand. 555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555"

Good one PB. Me too actually, though you put it best. As the American phrase goes, you can be sure that Nim See Seng 'is laughing all the way to the bank.'

[Gonzo the Face]

how the hel_l does anyone know who to vote for, with just the billboards to look at. What about the candidates policies etc and what they intend to do if they are elected?

Gee thats an easy one

You go to the parties and the one who slips you the "Richest Package" is obviously the best person.....

If the others were better they would give you a bigger "gift" ..... makes good sense when you think about it, for in the end thats about all you will be getting from the govt, no matter who gets in...

[expatwannabe]

On a serious note, I recall in the US all the usual laws re: posting of signs, banners, etc. are waived during election time.

Not true. The laws are still in place. They're just ignored. I lived in San Francisco for 10 years, and every year election signs went up on lamp posts, telephone poles, etc. - and we read in the local newspapers how much local taxpayers were going to have to pay to have these illegal signs removed.

[lannarebirth]

I thought #5 was rather clever. Placing the hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha between the pictures of the other candidates. My gf is a friend of #2, who is Chao Duang Duen's niece (not sure if they disqualified her or not), but that's who she'll be voting for if not.

Edited June 17, 2007 by lannarebirth

[mcgriffith]

On a serious note, I recall in the US all the usual laws re: posting of signs, banners, etc. are waived during election time.

Not true. The laws are still in place. They're just ignored. I lived in San Francisco for 10 years, and every year election signs went up on lamp posts, telephone poles, etc. - and we read in the local newspapers how much local taxpayers were going to have to pay to have these illegal signs removed.

Yeah, I misspoke when I said "waived". "Universally ignored" would have been more accurate.

There isn't a municipal code enforcement officer in the world who is willing to cite a campaign for posting illegal signs- the guy's/gal's campaign he cites may be his new boss...

Many (if not most) political campaign organisations send the same teams who posted signs, to remove them after the election is over. Except for Mister Dark Horse Candidate, who received a total of 37 votes...