Thailand Does Not Need Any Foreign Aid

[SunbeltAsia]

Thai PM says quake reconstruction affordable

By Amy Kazmin in Bangkok

Published: January 3 2005 11:24 | Last updated: January 3 2005 11:24

Thaksin Shinawatra, the Thai prime minister, on Monday declared that the country did not need foreign aid to help it recover from the tsunami disaster, and could afford to pay for its own relief and reconstruction with government spending and domestic donations.

The government has already committed some US$1.5bn, with Mr Thaksin saying no resources will be spared in rehabilitating the affected region and Thailand’s crucial tourist industry once the grim search for bodies is over.

In his weekly national radio address, the premier said his government - which is widely expected to return to power after national polls on February 6 - expects economic growth to remain robust despite the severe blow inflicted on the tourist industry.

“This government believes that given cooperation from everyone, and supportive factors that fortunately have been gradually put in place, public confidence can be restored and economic strength can be sustained,” he said.

But Thailand’s finance ministry, and other economists, project that the disaster will pare Thailand’s GDP growth for 2005, even with a flood of government money to support reconstruction efforts.

JP Morgan forecasts Thai GDP growth will be reduced to 4.6 per cent this year, from an earlier projected 5 per cent, while Phatra Securities, in a report last week, estimated that GDP growth will be shaved by 0.6 percentage points, also to 5 per cent. The Finance Ministry has estimated that the disaster will shave 0.3 points from domestic product growth.

The Thai tourism industry, which accounts for 6 per cent of GDP and employs nearly 200,000 people from across the country, will suffer the greatest hit, as skittish foreign visitors cancel planned seaside holidays in the wake of the disaster.

Hotels and other tourist infrastructure on the once popular resorts of Khao Lak, which had two newly opened five star hotels, and famous Phi Phi Island were totally destroyed by the force of the wave, causing property losses that the Tourism Authority of Thailand has estimated at Bt12.8bn ($330m).

And while many hotels and beaches on the island of Phuket were only slightly damaged by the sea surge, surviving tourists’ traumatic tales of near death experiences, narrow escapes and tragic crushing loss, may well dampen global demand for beach holidays for the immediate future.

Phatra said Thailand will lose up to Bt30bn in tourist revenues this year, or around 7 per cent of the total. Nearly 20 per cent of Thailand’s foreign tourists visit southern beach resorts, with the greatest number between October and April.

“The first quarter will be a wipeout, which is pretty much most of the high season,” said Sriyan Pietersz, head of research for JP Morgan.

However, Thailand’s government has already announced nearly Bt60bn worth of financial aid to counter the lost tourist revenues, and help the rebuilding effort. Of that, Bt28bn has been allocated for a disaster relief and rebuilding fund, which will finance emergency rescue, and provide cash grants to those worst affected by the disaster.

The Bank of Thailand has also authorised an emergency soft-loan program, under which the central bank will loan money to commercial banks at 0.01 per cent interest, for loaning on to affected businesses for less than 2 per cent interest.

The government also said southern businesses would be given tax breaks on current income, while the state agricultural bank and cooperatives would annul and absorb the debts of farmers and micro-enterprise owners who died in the disaster.

“There will probably be more of these programmes announced, so what you lose in terms of tourism income, you get partly offset in terms of additional government spending,” Mr Pietersz said.

[lukamar]

I saw Thaksin Shinawatra in an interview on CNN or BBC here in Greece and was very surprised to hear him say that Thailand did not want or need any financial assistance for the Tsunami disaster. Just that they needed 'expertise' and 'professional' help, but no money.

So what is it with "Thais are only interested in money?" 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My wife saw that interview and commented on it to me. Thaksin is a good businessman and realizes that the most pressing thing is to clear up the problems with identifying the victums of the disaster in Thailand. That is what is getting the most negative press and that's not good for the tourist industry. He also knows that Thailand will get monitary aid sooner or later from the world community.

[chuchok]

I saw Thaksin Shinawatra in an interview on CNN or BBC here in Greece and was very surprised to hear him say that Thailand did not want or need any financial assistance for the Tsunami disaster. Just that they needed 'expertise' and 'professional' help, but no money.

So what is it with "Thais are only interested in money?" 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Its called Face.

[lukamar]

Its called Face.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think it is more than just face. I don't think the government wants to get into the situation of indebtedness to anyone over this disaster.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Its called Face.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think it is more than just face. I don't think the government wants to get into the situation of indebtedness to anyone over this disaster.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not a cent of the aid planned is repayable. The PM is an idiot. Thailand desperately needs the financial aid.

[britmaveric]

Its called Face.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think it is more than just face. I don't think the government wants to get into the situation of indebtedness to anyone over this disaster.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not a cent of the aid planned is repayable. The PM is an idiot. Thailand desperately needs the financial aid.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Fearless leader sticks his foot in his mouth once again.. anyone with half a brain knows aide is needed more than ever.

[Lioneric]

Good points not to accept:

1)Thais are very good heart nation, so when visitor injured or killed in Thailand ,the host will bear all the cost by themself. This is to show gratitute to the world that Thailand are able and rich enough to stand on his own feet , unlike IMF still huanted in Thais mind.

2)With Thailand able to handle the financial by the government themself then the extra money from United nation and red cross will genarated to more needy countries like Sri Lanka, INdia and Indonesia. As we can see in the news those people are really in bad shape, the survival haven't eaten for days and we are very luckly to have donation pouring in everyday.

Bad points:

1) The government will used tax payers money USD 1.5 Billion on the tsunami fund with that kind of amount the government can spend on subsidy the oil because next year after election the diesel will shoot up to above 20 bt.

2)Nobody asked us to repay the kind of huge amount, so it's idiot for no taking just to have save face matters. Remember that Taksin is a multi millionaire but the victims are not and people are just given to the victims and not Taksin himself so how can Taksin say no to that offer.

Remarks: I am not trying to confuse readers here by given contrast points but it's just list it up and check which one is more important on current situation.

Edited January 4, 2005 by Lioneric

[marquess]

The PM, himself might not need any aid of any kind being a rich man. Though try telling that to someone who has lost all their property and has no insurance! I hope that in time individuals with bonifide claims will be able to apply of their own accord with out having to wait for the approval of the gov

[aaaaaa]

Not a cent of the aid planned is repayable. The PM is an idiot. Thailand desperately needs the financial aid.

"Those sitting on the fence always score more goals than those playing !"

perhaps Dr. Patpong would make a better and SMARTER PM ?

[aaaaaa]

My wife saw that interview and commented on it to me.  Thaksin is a good businessman and realizes that the most pressing thing is to clear up the problems with identifying the victums of the disaster in Thailand.  That is what is getting the most negative press and that's not good for the tourist industry.  He also knows that Thailand will get monitary aid sooner or later from the world community.

I think this is better way of understanding the reasons why Thai people do something in particular way - listen to what THEY say about it.

my wife also said that local PM said so just to make all the people here feel proud of their country - that we can do it ourselves. it is a matter of pride for them ! positive pride. that - we care and capable of helping our own people - especially if we get united in single purpose.

and it is also related to all complex issues like those problems in the south of Thailand. Thai people feel strong about their coutry being free and safe and happy. they've felt this way for centuries and more - acted accordingly. that's why and how they were able to stay independent both as sovereign entity and as cultural / ideological one.

and actually no one wants to part with the land which they feel belongs to them - be it issue of Kashimr in India, Basks in Spain, Tamil tigers in Sri lanka, Quebec in Canada, Tibet in China, Chechnya in Russia etc etc.

so Thais also don't feel like parting with those southern provinces. my wife told me that even while in school they were thought that Thailand's map resembles an axe , and the strip of land down South - as it handle; so the importance of that part was emphasised by teacher in simple allegory: if there is no handle, the axe would be useless. Now, I don't know the original source of this explanation - but it seems that most if not all of Thais have this simple image in their minds ever since their childhood. therefore they try to do everything possible to keep that region as a part of Thailand. that's why that campaing last month - all those birds made of paper send to Southern provinces.

so this aid for tsunami matter - is just a part of complex issue. and no need to be judgemental , especially if not aware of other historical and cutlural etc. sides of thai people.

for them being able to pay debt to IMF or being able to express their love and care and ability to help to victims of tsunami - is more than simply sort of narrow minded "keeping face". it is one of proofs for themselves that they can solve such problem themselves - and hope that they can solve similar problems such as South Thailand.

I recall few years ago in Malaysia there was also everywhere the slogan : "Malaysia boleh !" after one Malay guy has crossed the world in single yacht. malaysians also were proud: we also can do that - AND that means many other things as well. not only those super powers and 1st world counries can do extraordinary achivements....

it might seem a bit childish and naive - but better at least to have some respect to the mood and attitude of people who live in particular country.

Thaksin might have a lot of faults as anyone else coz nobody is perfect, even Bush - but on average Thai people respect him for that positive work he does for country. there are many evidences of that - like expression of support , even by muslims in Bankok, after those events when many people died in overloaded trucks in the SOuth.

and personally I don't think he is some sort of self-centred egoist who tries to stay in power no matter what - even on the cost of tsunami's victims not getting sufficient help. if really would be a lack of money - I'm sure he'll accept help.

[aaaaaa]

Fearless leader sticks his foot in his mouth once again.. anyone with half a brain knows aide is needed more than ever.

perhaps that's the point: those with half brain think so. may be if they had tow halves of barins they'd be able to knwo something more than that?

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra told CNN his country did not need financial help but was appreciative of expertise and equipment -- especially forensics expertise.

"We have never had anything like this," he said, "and it is getting harder to identify corpses."

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/01/0...uake/index.html

money can't buy everything in the world, especially instantly. if you come to victims and give them cash in the middle of that carnage, but not food and what they realy need - what they'd do with that cash, stick into their mouths and try to chew?

or would cash by itself perform such forensic expertise which is what really needed there right now?

I think helping to establish that tsunami warning system for Thailand and other countries - would do much better help. perhaps also - buy zinc coffins (which Thailand doesn't have that much) to transport corpese to foreign countries, or even supply normal wooden coffins; or give that needed negative rhesus factor blood. etc. etc.

look - already Thailand was being able to get 1.5 billion dollars for its relief program, while all the combined international comunity - 2 billions. is it not sufficient evidence of government's capability?

another point : WHO shows FACE more? this whole competition to raise money in the west - is it not a huge propaganda campaign for this very same reason - FACE ?

and last one: those who think it is only for mere show of face Taksin siad so - would it be better if local PM and government didn't try to appeal to thai people for help, but raher simply accepted foreign aid ? or had shown their inability to do anything without developed countires?

[aaaaaa]

Its called Face.

speaking of FACE ....

Both presidents said American charitable efforts could boost the image of the United States abroad....

The United States has pledged $350 million in tsunami aid, the largest single contribution by a government after Japan's $500 million. ...

Bush was criticized for initially pledging $15 million, and then raising that to $35 million two days after the disaster struck. He also was rebuked for not speaking publicly on the matter for the first three days....

Norway announced plans Monday to raise its pledge from $16 million to about $180 million -- an 11-fold increase that would make its contribution the single largest per capita pledge of any nation by a wide margin.

With a population of a little more than 4.5 million, Norway's pledge would come out to approximately $39.50 per citizen. The U.S. pledge of $350 million comes out to $1.19 per person....

Monday, January 3, 2005 Posted: 11:45 PM EST (0445 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/01/03/tsunami.p...ents/index.html

while some are trying to boost something, others, like simple thai people - show real care - please read some threads where respect for thai people is shown.

who shows FACE more ?

[argus1949]

Just read:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

US to use Sattahip base to facilitate tsunami relief efforts

Published on Jan 04 , 2005

The United States choses Sattahip naval base in Chonburi province as its air base to coordinate relief efforts for countries hit by last week's tsunamis.

The US has already sent surveillance aircraft, helicopters and C- 130 transport planes to the Utapao Royal Thai Naval Air Force Base in Satthahip, along with 350 officials who will coordinate with Thailand's 536 Task Force under the command of Vice-Admiral Robert R. Blackman.

Since last Thursday, the US has been sending personnel and equipment to countries hit by the tsunami waves -- Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Madacasca and Somalia.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This guys will not go out for the next 10 years. Smart move.

[aaaaaa]

Just read:

......................

This guys will not go out for the next 10 years. Smart move. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

ha ! cool! smart indeed !

[aaaaaa]

more about FACE ! seems like nothing is simply selfless noweays in this world ....

===================================

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...nm/india_185816

U.S., Asian powers could gain from tsunami diplomacy

4 minutes ago

By Linda Sieg

TOKYO (Reuters) - The huge aid effort for tsunami-hit areas of the Indian Ocean rim gives the United States, Japan, China and India a chance to improve their images as compassionate "soft powers" in a region where they compete for influence.

All four have pledged large amounts of aid in cash or kind and are sending top officials to Thursday's tsunami aid summit in Jakarta.

But some analysts said Bush's failure to speak publicly about the disaster and an early pledge of only $15 million meant a lost opportunity to repair an American image tarnished globally by post-Sept. 11 policies and the Iraq (news - web sites) war.

"They're playing catch-up and blew an easy opportunity," said Brad Glosserman, director of research at the Pacific Forum CSIS, a Honolulu-based think tank.

Others, though, said the U.S. mobilisation of massive funds and its military could improve Washington's standing in the region and among Muslims generally, since many hard-hit areas have large Muslim populations.

"The fact that the sums have been quickly increasing is tied very much to the general goal of trying to improve the image of the United States as a compassionate world leader," said Malcolm Cook, programme director for Asia and the Pacific at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney.

"I would certainly think it is a good opportunity."

Nearly 150,000 people were killed and millions have been left homeless or displaced by the Dec. 26 tsunami triggered by a magnitude 9 earthquake off Sumatra island.

Aid has been pouring into the region, particularly hardest-hit Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

The United States boosted its contribution to $350 million after accusations of being stingy. It has also mobilised its armed forces for relief work and launched a private charity drive to back one of the biggest aid efforts in history.

To help lead aid efforts, Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) and Florida Governor Jeb Bush, the American president's brother, are in Asia and will be attending the Jakarta tsunami summit along with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and other global leaders.

Japan has pledged $500 million, a quarter of total global pledges of about $2 billion. While the amount was natural given Japan's economic clout, analysts said it could be a timely reminder that Tokyo was a reliable regional partner despite a recent focus on China's rise.

Beijing's own promise of more than $60 million, a hefty sum for a developing country, has also served notice of China's desire to forge friendlier ties with a region suspicious of its growing economic clout and strategic intentions, experts said.

COUNTER-TERRORISM, CHINA-JAPAN RIVALRY

If, however, Washington is too overt in casting its aid as a counter-terrorism measure in the region, the result could be a backlash, some analysts said.

"One always assumes that charity has an overall positive effect. You don't need to spell out which particular effect," said Wang Gungwu, director of the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore.

Suspicions about U.S. intentions have already surfaced in India, where some saw Washington's decision to send as many as 1,500 Marines and an amphibious assault ship to Sri Lanka as an intrusion into India's sphere of influence.

India, determined not to be seen merely as a victim after losing more than 15,000 of its own people to the disaster, moved quickly to send help to Sri Lanka and other countries.

For Japan, seen in recent years to be losing out to China in competition for regional leadership, a willingness to ante up and to mobilise its own military for relief efforts could bolster Tokyo's flagging image among its neighbours, analysts said.

"This is not only something at which Japan can excel, but it's a place where they can beat China, because China doesn't have the assets or ability to deliver this, or the money to finance it," CSIS's Glosserman said.

Still, China's own contribution -- on par with Canada and France -- reflects its desire to play a bigger diplomatic role in the region and the world.

"China's getting stronger makes countries feel not at ease, though they do not openly say that China is a threat. The new leaders want to change that impression, so they've given all this money," said Jia Qingguo, a professor at the School of International Studies at Peking University in Beijing.

China might even end up with more applause for its assistance than Japan does for its far more massive aid, some analysts said, noting that Beijing won global kudos by refraining from floating its currency during the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

"Even though Japan gave by far the most, China's image was helped without giving much," Cook said.

(Additional reporting by Lindsay Beck in Beijing)

[aaaaaa]

at least THailand doesn't do such thing !

=================================

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=...806041&sec=asia

Tuesday January 4, 2005

India obstructing aid, say groups

PORT BLAIR (India): The Indian government's refusal to allow access to the remote Andaman and Nicobar islands is preventing aid from reaching the most desperate survivors of last week's tsunamis, international aid groups said yesterday, as the country's death toll was expected to top 15,000.

Despite the Dec 26 tsunamis that ripped through the low-lying atolls, the Indian government has stood by its long-standing policy of restricting entry to the islands out of concerns for the security of a military air base as well as the protection of indigenous tribes.

“This closed-door approach of not allowing NGOs (non-governmental organisations) is delaying relief efforts,'' said Shaheen Nilofer, programme manager for Eastern India for international aid agency Oxfam.

“Valuable time has been lost because of this delay. (India is) accelerating the miseries of the poor people,'' she said. “Somewhere, someone has to be responsible. If you don't take care of the survivors, the number of deaths can far outnumber the deaths from the tsunami.''

By yesterday morning, the Home Ministry put India's official death toll at 9,479, with another 5,681 people missing and feared dead in the remote island territories.

Ronen Sen, India's ambassador to the United States, said on Sunday in Washington that “the likelihood of these people remaining alive is diminishing”.

The latest quake to hit Andaman and Nicobar was a 6.0-magnitude tremor that struck overnight on Sunday in the seas near the islands, but there were no reports of casualties or other damage, an official at New Delhi's Meteorology Department said.

Meanwhile, the handful of Indian volunteer groups and government officials allowed access to the islands continued to conduct an island-by-island search for thousands of missing, feared buried under layers of debris and mud in the 500-plus-island archipelago.

The government said late last week it had not made a decision regarding requests by foreign aid groups, including Medecins San Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) and Oxfam, to deliver aid to the more remote islands.

Instead, it has ferried survivors to Port Blair where entry is not restricted.

Oxfam was the first of several international aid groups to reach Port Blair, where hundreds of survivors have been pouring into camps after being evacuated by ship. Aid officials said survivors still on the islands were in need of food and water. – AP

[mffun]

Thai PM says quake reconstruction affordable

By Amy Kazmin in Bangkok

Published: January 3 2005 11:24 | Last updated: January 3 2005 11:24

Thaksin Shinawatra, the Thai prime minister, on Monday declared that the country did not need foreign aid to help it recover from the tsunami disaster, and could afford to pay for its own relief and reconstruction with government spending and domestic donations.

The government has already committed some US$1.5bn, with Mr Thaksin saying no resources will be spared in rehabilitating the affected region and Thailand’s crucial tourist industry once the grim search for bodies is over.

In his weekly national radio address, the premier said his government - which is widely expected to return to power after national polls on February 6 - expects economic growth to remain robust despite the severe blow inflicted on the tourist industry.

“This government believes that given cooperation from everyone, and supportive factors that fortunately have been gradually put in place, public confidence can be restored and economic strength can be sustained,” he said.

But Thailand’s finance ministry, and other economists, project that the disaster will pare Thailand’s GDP growth for 2005, even with a flood of government money to support reconstruction efforts.

JP Morgan forecasts Thai GDP growth will be reduced to 4.6 per cent this year, from an earlier projected 5 per cent, while Phatra Securities, in a report last week, estimated that GDP growth will be shaved by 0.6 percentage points, also to 5 per cent. The Finance Ministry has estimated that the disaster will shave 0.3 points from domestic product growth.

The Thai tourism industry, which accounts for 6 per cent of GDP and employs nearly 200,000 people from across the country, will suffer the greatest hit, as skittish foreign visitors cancel planned seaside holidays in the wake of the disaster.

Hotels and other tourist infrastructure on the once popular resorts of Khao Lak, which had two newly opened five star hotels, and famous Phi Phi Island were totally destroyed by the force of the wave, causing property losses that the Tourism Authority of Thailand has estimated at Bt12.8bn ($330m).

And while many hotels and beaches on the island of Phuket were only slightly damaged by the sea surge, surviving tourists’ traumatic tales of near death experiences, narrow escapes and tragic crushing loss, may well dampen global demand for beach holidays for the immediate future.

Phatra said Thailand will lose up to Bt30bn in tourist revenues this year, or around 7 per cent of the total. Nearly 20 per cent of Thailand’s foreign tourists visit southern beach resorts, with the greatest number between October and April.

“The first quarter will be a wipeout, which is pretty much most of the high season,” said Sriyan Pietersz, head of research for JP Morgan.

However, Thailand’s government has already announced nearly Bt60bn worth of financial aid to counter the lost tourist revenues, and help the rebuilding effort. Of that, Bt28bn has been allocated for a disaster relief and rebuilding fund, which will finance emergency rescue, and provide cash grants to those worst affected by the disaster.

The Bank of Thailand has also authorised an emergency soft-loan program, under which the central bank will loan money to commercial banks at 0.01 per cent interest, for loaning on to affected businesses for less than 2 per cent interest.

The government also said southern businesses would be given tax breaks on current income, while the state agricultural bank and cooperatives would annul and absorb the debts of farmers and micro-enterprise owners who died in the disaster.

“There will probably be more of these programmes announced, so what you lose in terms of tourism income, you get partly offset in terms of additional government spending,” Mr Pietersz said.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But why so many thai's say NOW everywhere, yes we need urgently international assistance?

Someone make a mistake?

>aaaaaa< - I hope that, he accepts assistance!

Edited January 6, 2005 by mffun

[snoophound]

Sounds like another hollow piece of posturing by toxin to me.

He even felt he was too important to go to the summit in Jakarta even though most leaders did attend.

I think him and india were the only ones who didnt.

Thai PM says quake reconstruction affordable

By Amy Kazmin in Bangkok

Published: January 3 2005 11:24 | Last updated: January 3 2005 11:24

Thaksin Shinawatra, the Thai prime minister, on Monday declared that the country did not need foreign aid to help it recover from the tsunami disaster, and could afford to pay for its own relief and reconstruction with government spending and domestic donations.

The government has already committed some US$1.5bn, with Mr Thaksin saying no resources will be spared in rehabilitating the affected region and Thailand’s crucial tourist industry once the grim search for bodies is over.

In his weekly national radio address, the premier said his government - which is widely expected to return to power after national polls on February 6 - expects economic growth to remain robust despite the severe blow inflicted on the tourist industry.

“This government believes that given cooperation from everyone, and supportive factors that fortunately have been gradually put in place, public confidence can be restored and economic strength can be sustained,” he said.

But Thailand’s finance ministry, and other economists, project that the disaster will pare Thailand’s GDP growth for 2005, even with a flood of government money to support reconstruction efforts.

JP Morgan forecasts Thai GDP growth will be reduced to 4.6 per cent this year, from an earlier projected 5 per cent, while Phatra Securities, in a report last week, estimated that GDP growth will be shaved by 0.6 percentage points, also to 5 per cent. The Finance Ministry has estimated that the disaster will shave 0.3 points from domestic product growth.

The Thai tourism industry, which accounts for 6 per cent of GDP and employs nearly 200,000 people from across the country, will suffer the greatest hit, as skittish foreign visitors cancel planned seaside holidays in the wake of the disaster.

Hotels and other tourist infrastructure on the once popular resorts of Khao Lak, which had two newly opened five star hotels, and famous Phi Phi Island were totally destroyed by the force of the wave, causing property losses that the Tourism Authority of Thailand has estimated at Bt12.8bn ($330m).

And while many hotels and beaches on the island of Phuket were only slightly damaged by the sea surge, surviving tourists’ traumatic tales of near death experiences, narrow escapes and tragic crushing loss, may well dampen global demand for beach holidays for the immediate future.

Phatra said Thailand will lose up to Bt30bn in tourist revenues this year, or around 7 per cent of the total. Nearly 20 per cent of Thailand’s foreign tourists visit southern beach resorts, with the greatest number between October and April.

“The first quarter will be a wipeout, which is pretty much most of the high season,” said Sriyan Pietersz, head of research for JP Morgan.

However, Thailand’s government has already announced nearly Bt60bn worth of financial aid to counter the lost tourist revenues, and help the rebuilding effort. Of that, Bt28bn has been allocated for a disaster relief and rebuilding fund, which will finance emergency rescue, and provide cash grants to those worst affected by the disaster.

The Bank of Thailand has also authorised an emergency soft-loan program, under which the central bank will loan money to commercial banks at 0.01 per cent interest, for loaning on to affected businesses for less than 2 per cent interest.

The government also said southern businesses would be given tax breaks on current income, while the state agricultural bank and cooperatives would annul and absorb the debts of farmers and micro-enterprise owners who died in the disaster.

“There will probably be more of these programmes announced, so what you lose in terms of tourism income, you get partly offset in terms of additional government spending,” Mr Pietersz said.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But why so many thai's say NOW everywhere, yes we need urgently international assistance?

Someone make a mistake?

>aaaaaa< - I hope that, he accepts assistance!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[dr_Pat_Pong]

The PM's position is incredible.

[Felt 35]

With his wealth, which he have made from the his own people, he should delete all debt for people who have lost their home/ business and relatives and are without income and give each family at least 30k the next 12 months as something to start up with.

[aaaaaa]

With his wealth, which he have made from the his own people, he should delete all debt for people who have lost their home/ business and relatives and are without income and give each family at least 30k the next 12 months as something to start up with.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

may be you are right - it is a good idea to delete debts. I'm not sure about this, but about another part of your suggestion - my wife told me from her transaltion for me of TV news that government pledged to give 25k - which is almost 30k you suggest.... need to confirm the figure though....

but another thing is - that government said it will give money even to foreign victims of tsunami - never mind that they ain't thais....

[aaaaaa]

>aaaaaa< - I hope that, he accepts assistance!

personally - I agree with you and whoever else in the opinion that it is not bad idea at all to accept financial help from outside - extra cash won't hurt, right?

but we never know what other "behind the curtains" affairs going on there on the high levels of international politics even though mass media might try to shread their bums to british flag trying to prove that they give full and honest coverage of all event;

even if such affairs are about huge scale human grief.... politics are politics all the times.... and especially when money _ HUGE MONEY_ are concerned.... money and politics go hand in hand. and the best politics ever made were during and while such events of big disasters and wars.... now there is no secrets of many facts of "double game" by some governments in , say, selling weapons to the customer who is oficially an enemy etc etc.

that's why I can't say anything objectively in this regard. it is easy to judge from limited point of view, not so easy from full 360 degrees point of view (in 2 dimentions ) - and even much harder yet to be in that position and act responsibly according to that position.

modern media 's pretending of being "vox populi" is old and worn out.... we are always given only a bits of PERMITTED and SELECTED truths and perhaps half-truths anyway...

[aaaaaa]

Its called Face.

More about FACE - some guys don't like other guys improving their FACE in Asia :

============================

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/01/0...s.ap/index.html

Thursday, January 6, 2005 Posted: 7:59 PM EST (0059 GMT)

Concern over radical relief group

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) -- An extremist Islamic group with alleged al Qaeda links has set up a relief camp on Indonesia's tsunami-stricken Sumatra island, raising concerns it could stir up sentiment against U.S. and Australian troops helping distribute aid.

The Laskar Mujahidin group posted a sign at its camp that read -- in English -- "Islamic Law Enforcement."

Its members said Thursday they had been collecting corpses, distributing food and providing Islamic teaching for refugees in the predominantly Muslim Aceh province.

The presence of the extremist group, known for killing Christians in a sectarian conflict elsewhere in Indonesia, has generated fears that U.S. military personnel and other Westerners doing relief work could become terror targets.

It also underscores the fine line that foreigners, especially the U.S. military, must tread between being welcomed as Samaritans or viewed as invaders in a country where suspicion of outsiders runs deep.

U.S., Australian and South Korean government officials said they were aware of security threats and were taking precautions. One major aid agency said its staff had been ordered not to fly in U.S. helicopters.

Analysts said Islamic terrorists known to operate in Indonesia would be foolish to try to attack anyone helping the hundreds of thousands of tsunami victims, because it could result in aid groups pulling out and sour the militants' chances of building popular support.

But they warned that radical groups helping the relief effort would also try to stoke anti-Western sentiment -- and wait for an opportunity to attack if public support for outside help wanes.

Ship-based U.S. Navy and Marine helicopter crews have flown scores of missions to coastal villages in recent days, delivering food and water and sometimes bringing injured survivors to the airport in Aceh's provincial capital, Banda Aceh. The Americans have been welcomed with gratitude.

A U.S. official in Aceh said on condition of anonymity that U.S. forces were aware of Laskar Mujahidin's presence.

"You've got to be on your toes," the official said. "We're watching them. Something can happen."

Lt. Cmdr. John Daniel, a spokesman for the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier battle group, said chopper crews were not taking special security precautions and that Indonesia's military -- which has long fought separatist rebels in Aceh -- was helping with security.

"We feel safe with the Indonesian military there," Daniel said. "We are cautious, but we're not doing anything special."

Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said his government had examined the potential terror threat and there was no cause for alarm.

"We monitored this but we have no evidence of it being a problem," Downer said.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, is predominantly moderate but hosts dozens of radical Islamic groups.

Non-governmental organizations of all kinds -- religious, political and others -- have rushed to Sumatra to help in the relief effort, many ferried in on Indonesian military planes.

Among those brought in on military aircraft were 50 members of Laskar Mujahidin, according to Jundi, a member of the group. Like many Indonesians, he uses one name.

Jundi said Laskar Mujahidin has set up four posts in Aceh and has sent more than 200 members to Banda Aceh, where they have joined other aid organizations at a camp near the military airport.

The militant group was founded in the late 1990s to attacks priests and churches in eastern Indonesia's Maluku islands, which have pockets of Christians. Sectarian violence there left about 9,000 dead in 1999-2001.

The guerrillas worked in small bands, were often described as Ninjas, and reportedly wore masks when fighting. The organization's fighters numbered about 500 at its height in mid-2000.

The group, from Indonesia's main island of Java, is unlikely to attract much support among native Acehnese -- a fiercely independent people. Three years ago, residents drove out another radical Islamic group, Laskar Jihad, which tried to open branches in the province.

Laskar Mujahidin has been accused of having links to foreign-based terrorist groups including al Qaeda, according to a report by Sidney Jones, an expert on Indonesia's Islamic radical groups. It also reportedly accepted aid offered by an emissary of Osama bin Laden, Jones wrote.

In a speech Thursday in Singapore, Jones said Laskar Mujahidin's motives on Sumatra may have to do with fears that the foreign humanitarian effort was a veiled attempt to convert Muslims to Christianity.

Jundi said the group would not interfere with foreign troops -- as long as they kept strictly to humanitarian operations.

"We are here to help our Muslim brothers," he said. "As long as they are here to help, we will have no problem with them."

But their presence highlighted the persistent danger of terrorism in Indonesia, and militant groups' murky, overlapping links.

Laskar Mujahidin was once headed by Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, an Islamic cleric now on trial as an alleged leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, which has close al Qaeda links. Some Jemaah Islamiyah members helped the September 11 hijackers.

Jemaah Islamiyah is blamed for the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings that killed 202 people, a 2003 blast that killed 12 at Jakarta's J.W. Marriott hotel, and a suicide car bomb outside the Australian Embassy two months ago that killed 10.

Threat 'exaggerated'

Ba'asyir denies being a terrorist and says Jemaah Islamiyah does not exist. During a court hearing last week, he offered prayers for the tsunami victims.

Indonesian police said the threat was exaggerated -- a position Indonesian officials frequently took on Islamic terror groups before the Bali attack.

"This group is here for humanitarian reasons," said Indonesia's chief detective, Lt. Gen. Suyitno Landung. "We should not be prejudiced against them. I'm worried the media is exaggerating the threat of this group."

Against such a backdrop, the South Korean government issued a warning Thursday that it had "acquired intelligence that our relief groups in Indonesia and some other areas are becoming a possible target of terror attacks."

A South Korean Foreign Ministry official told the AP on condition of anonymity that the statement was "not based on verifiable intelligence" and was a "precautionary warning."

European governments and aid groups said they received no special terror warnings.

But Michel Brugiere, director of Medecins du Monde, or Doctors of the World, said that "given the context of the area where we are operating, we have very strict security measures in place."

"Our teams are told that they should not fly in American army helicopters, since we're concerned that they could be a particular target," Brugiere said.

[marquess]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,18...1428920,00.html

Check out the above link to an article in the Times depicting the reality for some of the Thai victims.

[aaaaaa]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,18...1428920,00.html

Check out the above link to an article in the Times depicting the reality for some of the  Thai victims.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

yeah - I've read it just now from the link given in some other thread...

not sure though how much it is true. but if it is - then the whole local TV and other media's coverage of these events woul be such a hipocrasy ! therefore I can't easily believe this article - too fishy.... seems more like western media trying to make sensations to get their part of the story..... why it is not reported by any major press agensies as BBC or AP or CNN - but by some local newspaper?

[aaaaaa]

Could U.S. aid to survivors alter anti-Americanism among Muslims?

Could U.S. aid to survivors alter anti-Americanism among Muslims?

Thu Jan 6, 7:17 AM ET

By Barbara Slavin and Kathy Kiely, USA TODAY

The U.S. servicemen have been logging 24-hour shifts in sweltering humidity, but their voices bubble with enthusiasm as they describe the welcome they've received in the most conservative Islamic province of this Muslim country.

"We get lots of smiles, lots of thumbs-up," says Chief Petty Officer Matthew Schwantz, 29, of Beaufort, S.C. He's part of a squadron that has been flying off the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to bring aid to victims of the tsunami that struck Dec. 26. "The people are very appreciative."

The reception being given to U.S. troops bringing aid to Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation and the one hardest hit by the massive earthquake and tsunami, is making a big impression half a world away. In Washington, some officials wonder if they've stumbled upon potent new weapons in the war against terrorism: food, water, clothing, medicine and the millions of dollars pouring from Americans' wallets.

Government leaders are reluctant to discuss the aid in terms of potential strategic benefits. They don't want America's generosity to be misinterpreted. "The best way for us to help ourselves is to do what's right, without regard to how people feel for us," says former president Bill Clinton (news - web sites), co-chair of a private relief effort with former president George H.W. Bush. "Just do it. And it will happen."

By itself, the outpouring of U.S. aid to tsunami victims won't be enough to counteract anti-American sentiment that has intensified in much of the world - especially in Muslim nations - since the U.S. invasion of Iraq (news - web sites).

Indeed, some Internet sites and Egyptian media have gone so far as to report that the tsunami was actually caused by an American nuclear test.

In Jerusalem, Adnan Husseini, director of the Islamic Waqf, a religious authority, says the U.S. role in Iraq undermines any positive benefit from the aid effort. "You can't give an apple in one hand and a rocket in the other," he says.

But some Americans say that without the outpouring of U.S. generosity, the situation might have been much worse. "Were the leader of the free world not to come through for the largest Muslim nation on Earth, it could be devastating," says Sen. Jon Corzine (news, bio, voting record), a New Jersey Democrat who will travel to South Asia this week.

There are indications that the relief effort is at least prompting some Muslims to re-evaluate their attitudes toward the United States. "Some of our students who used to be quite aggressive have become more moderate now," says Fadil Lubis, a professor at the State Institute of Islamic Studies in Medan, a city on Sumatra, the Indonesian island closest to the epicenter.

U.S. relations with Indonesia have been strained in recent years. Though most Indonesians practice a moderate form of Islam, the country is home to a number of extremist groups that have advocated violence against Christians and other non-Muslims. The U.S.-led war in Iraq prompted protests in some Indonesian cities; a group known as the Islamic Defenders Front claimed to have signed up 400 volunteers in "jihad registrations."

But in Aceh, the province where Islam first took root in Indonesia and where a less tolerant, more conservative form of the faith is practiced than elsewhere in the country, residents this week were showering praise on the Americans who have come bearing instant noodles, water and other supplies.

"I really, really appreciate the U.S. coming," said Cutbang, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name. "We look in the sky and see only U.S. planes."

In the USA, the positive reaction to the U.S. aid program is giving new ammunition to those who argue that America's foreign aid is as important in fighting terror as its military might.

"Remember that the struggle is really a struggle for the hearts and minds of the Muslim world," says Lawrence Korb, a top Pentagon (news - web sites) official in the Reagan administration. Adds William Cohen, who served as Defense secretary in the Clinton administration: "In a time of crisis, a helping hand can be just as powerful as a fist of iron."

'What's the right thing to do?'

Geopolitical gains should not be the primary reason that the world's wealthiest nation reaches out to the destitute, American political leaders insist. "I don't think we should measure this by, 'OK, the Muslim countries are going to like us now,' " says Sen. Sam Brownback (news, bio, voting record), R-Kan. "We should measure this by what's the right thing to do. And the right thing for us to do is to help those in great need."

Nonetheless, as a new Congress convened this week, there was palpable enthusiasm about the opportunity the United States has to rehabilitate an image that, according to Rep. Jim Leach (news, bio, voting record), R-Iowa, "is almost exclusively muscular." A senior member of the House International Relations Committee, Leach celebrated the high-profile role that U.S. troops are playing in a speech on the House floor. "Our military has become an instrument of peace in the world," he said.

As of Wednesday, about 13,400 U.S. military personnel were involved in the relief effort. The Pentagon said 28 cargo planes were flying transport missions, and the number of helicopters would be doubled to about 90. The military has delivered more than 610,000 pounds of supplies.

At a news conference this week in Indonesia, where he was leading a delegation to assess damage, Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) noted that the United States was acting "regardless of religion" to address desperate human needs. "America is not an anti-Islam, anti-Muslim nation," Powell said.

Some political leaders in Washington are trying to underscore the point by contrasting America's military aid and $350 million pledge of cash assistance to the relatively smaller responses of some predominantly Muslim countries. The top-ranking Democrat on the International Relations Committee, California Rep. Tom Lantos (news, bio, voting record), calls it "an outrage" that oil-rich Arab nations haven't done more. At the same time, however, three countries - Australia, Germany and Japan - have pledged more than the USA.

Even those who maintain that the United States should act out of pure altruism acknowledge there could be strategic benefits. "It's an important foreign policy moment," Brownback says.

Both President Bush (news - web sites) and Congress appear intent upon seizing it. After being accused of responding lackadaisically in the initial stages of the crisis, the president has upped U.S. aid contributions and appointed two former presidents to head private fundraising efforts. Korb, now a resident fellow at the Democratic-leaning Center for American Progress, also credits the president for including Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in the delegation that Powell is heading in South Asia. "The fact that he sent his brother is incredibly important," Korb says.

On what has been a bitterly partisan Capitol Hill, Democratic and Republican leaders were unanimous in their vows to provide aid to the tsunami-stricken nations, even in the face of mounting budget deficits and financial obligations in Iraq. "We in the Congress will work together on a bipartisan basis to get the necessary relief to those in need," House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said Tuesday.

In for the long haul

The reconstruction in South Asia is likely to be costly and time-consuming. But Cohen says that it's important that the United States stay in for the long haul. Now head of the Cohen Group, a global consulting firm, he's sponsoring a conference next month of Muslim leaders to discuss attitudes toward the United States. Cohen says many in the international community have become skeptical about America's stick-to-it-iveness. "What too often happens is that once the klieg lights are off and TV cameras focus on the next crisis, they feel like they are walking in darkness," he says.

There are already signs that some in the American public are balking at a sustained commitment to a region that, as Leach says, "is a long way from home." On the first day of the new Congress, a number of callers to C-SPAN questioned the aid pledges. One asked why Jeb Bush was in Asia when damage in his own state from last summer's hurricanes had not yet been fully repaired. The region also offers plenty to provoke American xenophobia: Earlier this week, CNN aired a photograph of an Indonesian man who was receiving a U.S. aid package - while wearing an Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) T-shirt.

Supporters of long-term aid for the tsunami-stricken nations say that's precisely the reason the United States should take a leading role. "Wherever there is turmoil, you find fertile soil for terrorism to take root," says New York Rep. Nita Lowey (news, bio, voting record), the top-ranking Democrat on the House subcommittee that funds foreign aid.

Lowey and other U.S. policymakers see the Oct. 12, 2002, bombings of two nightclubs in Bali, Indonesia, which killed 202 people, as a sign that al-Qaeda already has made inroads into the region. Some of the poorer nations affected by the tsunami are "potentially great hotbeds for a new generation of terrorism," says Corzine. "We need to respond first and foremost for humanitarian reasons, but also for strategic reasons."

Others warn that if the U.S. doesn't respond, its enemies will. "These terrorist groups do provide things for their people," Korb says.

A generous U.S. response to tsunami victims doesn't guarantee a positive response throughout the Muslim world. In Iraq, some residents see the U.S. relief effort as diverting attention from their country, where problems still run deep. "Every nation should be doing something to help them," says Mohammed Jossim, a shop owner. "But we here in Iraq need American help. It is now one and a half years (since the American invasion), and we can see little improvement." Abdul Hamid Munim, a government employee, says the relief effort is misplaced. "Why don't they send these supplies and aid to the Fallujah people?" he asks.

James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, says that U.S. aid is a more powerful weapon than bombs. "Our power has never come from the barrel of a gun," he says. "It has come from the power of our generosity." But Zogby contends that the biggest factors spawning "anger and disappointment with America" in the Arab world are the war in Iraq and the perceived U.S. indifference to the plight of Palestinians living under Israeli rule. "The more we do for these (tsunami) victims, the more it stands in contrast to our failure to rescue the people of Gaza and the West Bank from a crushing poverty," he says.

Still, Zogby notes that the U.S. generosity in south Asia is having one positive effect in the Arab world: It has prompted debate in Arab papers about whether those countries should do more. "It's really significant that we, by example, are prodding others to do more," he says.

Not the first time

There are historical precedents for American generosity thawing frosty relationships. Cohen recalls a 1998 trip he made to China as secretary of Defense after a powerful earthquake struck north of Beijing, leaving about 10,000 homeless. He offered help, and the Chinese permitted U.S. Air Force planes to ferry in relief supplies. "The Chinese media showed U.S. aircraft landing and American pilots and flight attendants distributing assistance," he recalls. "It was a very positive development in our relationship."

A week later, Cohen and his Chinese counterpart signed a military maritime cooperation deal, and Cohen was permitted to visit a Chinese air force base that had never been seen by a foreigner.

More than 50 years of U.S.-European cooperation were arguably built on the indelible memories that an older generation of Europeans have of American G.I.s and Red Cross aides handing out chocolates and fruit. Leach cites the evidence in Iowa's Herbert Hoover presidential library, where one room is filled with embroideries, all done on the recycled gunnysacks that were used to ship U.S. food aid to Europe after World War I. The designs show Europeans receiving food aid. The inscriptions read: "Danke." "Merci." "Thank you."

Today, American policy leaders say the nation should contribute to tsunami relief whether anyone says thank you or not. "The hottest place in ###### is reserved for those who maintain indifference in the face of suffering," Cohen says.

But they can't help but hope that generosity will be repaid. "They've seen our resolve in dealing with terrorism. They also need to see our compassion," Brownback says. "It's the goodness of America that leads to its greatness."

Onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, such diplomacy is also on the mind of Michael Cook. The South Bend, Ind., native, 24, is among more than 2,000 crewmembers who volunteered for the mission to Banda Aceh. He thinks only of the devastation he's seen. "Hopefully," Cook says, "we can make some small impact."

Slavin reported from Indonesia, Kiely from Washington. Contributing: Andrea Stone in Jerusalem; Sabah al-Anbaki in Baghdad; Judy Keen and Dave Moniz in Washington; James Cox in McLean, Va.; Eric Unmacht of The Christian Science Monitor in Lamno, Indonesia.

[penzman]

No foreign aid huh?

He can now say goodbye to the "promise" he made about ending poverty within 4 years. Where will he find the money after the tsunami disaster?

The man is sitting on a wallet so thick he can't see what's really going on below...

[dr_Pat_Pong]

With his wealth, which he have made from the his own people, he should delete all debt for people who have lost their home/ business and relatives and are without income and give each family at least 30k the next 12 months as something to start up with.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

or even cease to knock back the worlds generous offers of assistance

[snoophound]

yes but hopefuly not as a lump some which will be squandered

pay it over 6 or twelve mths.

With his wealth, which he have made from the his own people, he should delete all debt for people who have lost their home/ business and relatives and are without income and give each family at least 30k the next 12 months as something to start up with.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

may be you are right - it is a good idea to delete debts. I'm not sure about this, but about another part of your suggestion - my wife told me from her transaltion for me of TV news that government pledged to give 25k - which is almost 30k you suggest.... need to confirm the figure though....

but another thing is - that government said it will give money even to foreign victims of tsunami - never mind that they ain't thais....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[samran]

Its called Face.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think it is more than just face. I don't think the government wants to get into the situation of indebtedness to anyone over this disaster.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not a cent of the aid planned is repayable. The PM is an idiot. Thailand desperately needs the financial aid.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

PM is playing politics. There is an election coming up and he will dole out TRT largess in the south where the Democrats traditionally send MP's to BKK in an effort to win more seats.

Secondly, the nationalist chest thumping ("we don't need outside help") always plays well elsewhere in the country.