It's all to appeal to the masses. In this monetary system, it is practically IMPOSSIBLE to avoid poverty. Not even the richest countries can do that. Somewhere like Norway is as close as you're gonna get but it took generations of hard work and decent governance, but it probably still has it (immigrants aside). Whereas a developing country with bad governance on top of bad/corrupt governance will never achieve it.

As some have noted above, mission impossible.

 

There have been many books and countless reports and articles published on this topic of recent decades, which would take hours to summarise.

 

But to keep it simple - major attitude adjustment and effective policy implementation required.  Change the tax system, and tax the Thai billionaires' of wealth.  Increase the human capital of all Thais via life-long education.  Provide all workers with a minimal living wage and all on welfare with a living benefit.  Reduce the number of foreign workers in Thailand (especially those being paid less than minimum wages).  Every adult resident in Thailand  MUST be issued a TIN, and all subjected to tax (although many on welfare will not have to pay tax).  Use more technology in government operations, thus reducing the size of the civil/public service.  Change the laws - anyone involved in corruption will receive 5+ years in a real prison plus their family will be fined 25% of their assent; increased punishment for repeat offenders).  And deal with the marfia families; Taksin did it with drug dealers (not so well), but I am sure all good devote Buddhists would like to see an end to marfia operations.

22 hours ago, mfd101 said:

Ha ha, well optimism is a good thing. It keeps us all motivated ...

 

So, first question: How do they define 'poverty'? Just to ensure that no worker is paid less than the regulation 350฿ per day (soon to be 380 wow!) would be a mammoth decade-long task, I shouldn't wonder.

 

Governments - and Prime Ministers! - that make announcements like that are either mind-bogglingly stupid and ignorant, or they assume their audience is. Worthy of Trump.

Can only afford one Mercedes Benz.

Vows to eradicate poverty as she enters a grand mansion.  Any disconnect there?  

theyll need to eradicate stupidity first and that aint happening

23 hours ago, Deserted said:

That's interesting, I wonder where she got that from. I distinctly remember Thaksin also saying he would eradicate poverty when he came to power but the time length was different. I believe he said 6 years not 2.

Well Thaksin couldn’t finish the job then no thanks to the military coups.

 

Like the war of drugs... hmmmmm

A great idea.  I don't think eradicating poverty completely is possible,  but reducing it significantly may be achievable. Given the vast inequality in Thailand that may necessitate moving some wealth to the poor from the very rich families. That could be a problem. 

Thailand aims to eradicate poverty in two years

 

Does that mean 0.1% of the nation, privileged super rich finally determined to give up their easy-earned billions for the less fortunate of the kingdom?

 

1 hour ago, kimamey said:

A great idea.  I don't think eradicating poverty completely is possible,  but reducing it significantly may be achievable. Given the vast inequality in Thailand that may necessitate moving some wealth to the poor from the very rich families. That could be a problem. 

 

More like impossible.

On 9/27/2024 at 11:30 AM, NoDisplayName said:

 

Google is a thing (except in China).

 

In China today, poverty refers mainly to the rural poor. Decades of economic development has reduced urban extreme poverty.^[1][2][3] According to the World Bank, more than 850 million Chinese people have been lifted out of extreme poverty; China's poverty rate fell from 88 percent in 1981 to 0.7 percent in 2015, as measured by the percentage of people living on the equivalent of US$1.90 or less per day in 2011 purchasing price parity terms,^[4][5] which still stands in 2022.^[6][7][8]

The Chinese definition of extreme poverty is more stringent than that of the World Bank: earning less than $2.30 a day at purchasing power parity (PPP).^[9] Growth has fuelled a substantial increase in per-capita income lifting people out of extreme poverty. China's per capita income has increased fivefold between 1990 and 2000, from $200 to $1,000. Between 2000 and 2010, per capita income also rose at the same rate, from $1,000 to $5,000, moving China into the ranks of middle-income countries.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_China

Inadvertently perhaps, you made my case: "US$1.90 or less per day in PPP", i.e. $1.25, as I wrote. Go to China and try to live on 9 yuan a day......or 40 baht a day in Thailand.

6 hours ago, daveAustin said:

It's all to appeal to the masses. In this monetary system, it is practically IMPOSSIBLE to avoid poverty. Not even the richest countries can do that. Somewhere like Norway is as close as you're gonna get but it took generations of hard work and decent governance, but it probably still has it (immigrants aside). Whereas a developing country with bad governance on top of bad/corrupt governance will never achieve it.

 

Norway's riches come courtesy of its status as western Europe's largest oil and gas producer. In so doing it over contributed to global warming, at a cost to countries who are vulnerable to climate change.  In effect, Norway has reduced its poverty by ensuring that hundreds of millions of  people in other regions will suffer  poverty due to the impact of catastrophic climate conditions.  It's an inconvenient truth some people don't wish to acknowledge,.

2 hours ago, elzach said:

Inadvertently perhaps, you made my case: "US$1.90 or less per day in PPP", i.e. $1.25, as I wrote. Go to China and try to live on 9 yuan a day......or 40 baht a day in Thailand.

 

How did I make your case? 

 

You stated "For those wondering, the poverty threshold in China is about 9 yuan ($1.25) a day."

 

The World Bank uses "equivalent of US$1.90 or less per day" for the poverty line.

 

China's measure is "more stringent than that of the World Bank: earning less than $2.30 a day".

 

So you're saying "try to live on 16 RMB/day?"  It's possible, otherwise there would be no surviving Chinese living below the extreme poverty line.  That doesn't mean comfortable, just possible.

 

Subsistence farmers in poor villages in Outer Nowhereia can do just that, raise a poor family on 500 RMB/month.

 

Or their kids can migrate to Shenzhen and work in FoxConn factories making 5000-7000 RMB/month "slave wages" for a few years, return home and live like kings.

 

In 1990 there were more than 750 million people in China living below the international poverty line - about two-thirds of the population.

By 2012, that had fallen to fewer than 90 million, and by 2016 - the most recent year for which World Bank figures are available - it had fallen to 7.2 million people (0.5% of the population).

https://www.bbc.com/news/56213271

 

 

On 9/27/2024 at 9:46 AM, webfact said:

Surapong’s comments followed a meeting between the Thai premier and her advisory team at Baan Phitsanulok, the grand government guest house on Phitsanulok Road.

I live in Phitsanulok, but have never seen it. 555