Thailand Explains Why It Does Not Need Foreign Aid

[britmaveric]

Thailand explains why it does not need foreign aid

BANGKOK, Jan 10, (TNA)- Thailand has refused direct aid from foreign donors because the country

wants to be on an equal footing with other members of the international community, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra told reporters on Monday.

However, Thailand would be glad to accept assistance in the form of training and the transfer of technology, Mr. Thaksin explained.

“It’s a different story, between us and the begging bowl. We are grateful and will gladly accept offers of medical aid, schools, housing or hospitals being built for the poor. But what I decline is direct cash funds to the Thai government, because we want to be equal in the international political arena. If we keep begging, our credibility will be undermined,” he said.

The international donor community should give priority to nations which are in dire need of immediate help like Indonesia, where an entire island has been entirely wiped out by the Tsunami.(TNA)--E113

[davethailand]

I think he's absolutley correct in not accepting Foriegn Government aid.

[britmaveric]

I guess time will tell if this was a good decision or not.

[davethailand]

I only hope that they will deal with it properly, Thailand is now debt free.

Obviously third world aid status would'nt help at all.

[PeaceBlondie]

Gosh, maybe Thailand's richer than I thought it was......then why is it their class size in public schools is still in the range of 51 students per classroom, and the compulsory school attendance age is either low or underenforced, and they don't have much high speed internet connections, and nobody seems to know how to make a phone call out of the country, and......

[davethailand]

Gosh, maybe Thailand's richer than I thought it was......then why is it their class size in public schools is still in the range of 51 students per classroom, and the compulsory school attendance age is either low or underenforced, and they don't have much high speed internet connections, and nobody seems to know how to make a phone call out of the country, and......

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Stop it Peaceblondie

Its a never ending list.

[taxexile]

thailand may not need direct cash aid anymore, but so long as corruption in national and local government and corruption in the police force and legal system is prevalent then thailand will remain a third world country in the eyes of the truly developed nations.

thailand still has a long way to go before it will be seen to be on an equal footing with (some) other members of the international community.

[mffun]

thailand may not need direct cash aid anymore, but so long as corruption in national and local government and corruption in the police force and legal system is  prevalent then thailand will remain a third world country in the eyes of the truly developed nations.

thailand still has a long way to go before it will be seen to be on an equal footing with (some) other members of the international community.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That is correctly, but sometimes helps only say, Thanks - and much would be better, for thais.

Its not always only goes around, in order to take over influence.

Edited January 11, 2005 by mffun

[chonabot]

thailand may not need direct cash aid anymore, but so long as corruption in national and local government and corruption in the police force and legal system is  prevalent then thailand will remain a third world country in the eyes of the truly developed nations.

thailand still has a long way to go before it will be seen to be on an equal footing with (some) other members of the international community.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That is correctly, but sometimes helps only say, Thanks - and much would be better, for thais.

Its not always only goes around, in order to take over influence.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Mate , can we have that again please , a shorter more basic version would be nice.

i.e it's nonsensical to me.

[phuketrichard]

By not accepting Money he is saying 2 things,

1 is he THINKS he is not a developing country and that is a real joke.

2. if he did accept money he would have to show where it went and be accountable.

as it is now he is not accountable to anyone and corruption can really run free.

read the Bangkok post about there views on changing Phuket. Someone is going to get very rich

Thailand is giving out 10,000 baht ($256) if you lost someone in your family and ONLY 2,000 baht if you lost your home.

That wont go far when the primary breadwinner is now gone.

[thaihome]

Gosh, maybe Thailand's richer than I thought it was......then why is it their class size in public schools is still in the range of 51 students per classroom, and the compulsory school attendance age is either low or underenforced, and they don't have much high speed internet connections, and nobody seems to know how to make a phone call out of the country, and......

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not sure I understand what any thing on your lists has to do with accepting gov to gov aid for rebuilding infrastructure in the disaster areas.

Actually what Thailand is doing here is keeping up with India, which has made the same statements. They both are trying to put themselves on slightly higher economic level then Sri Lanka or Indonesia and not appear to be dependent on foreign aid to recover.

TH

[astral]

Things may not be perfect here, but the country has advanced a great deal in the 20 years I haved been here.

Taksin's decision makes sense and there are other countries with much greater need.

Thailand has had more than its fair share of the publicity in the last two weeks due to greater accessibility and the regretable tourist deaths,

but our loss pales beside Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India.

[taxexile]

Things may not be perfect here, but the country has advanced a great deal in the 20 years I haved been here

not when it comes to corruption , nepotism and favouritism it hasnt.

its just a case of "meet the new boss , same as the old boss."

[mffun]

By not accepting Money he is saying 2 things,

Thailand is giving out 10,000 baht ($256) if you lost someone in your family and ONLY 2,000 baht if you lost your home.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

at this time not all correctly:

"Families of Thais who died will also get 30,000 baht but this figure will be doubled if the dead person is the family head. Compensation amounts for families of missing Thais have yet to be finalised."

and

"Deputy Prime Minister Suwat Liptapanlop, in charge of supervising relief efforts, said families of each foreign visitor killed, injured or missing would receive 30,000 baht from the state. The Tourism Authority of Thailand would also pay the expenses of those foreigners searching for missing relatives."

More?: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=24557

This are only shown sources, otherwise my contribution would fail differently!

Edited January 11, 2005 by mffun

[Felt 35]

Actually what Thailand is doing here is keeping up with India, which has made the same statements. They both are trying to put themselves on slightly higher economic level then Sri Lanka or Indonesia and not appear to be dependent on foreign aid to recover.

Just so

[chingy_]

i accept the idea, the thai can handle themself ont his one.

[gburns57au]

Thaksin has for once done the right thing....IMHO....he is saying that Thailand is in the position to help itself financially and that means the aid he is not accepting can go where it is more needed...

Thaksin did ask personally for help from Australia with the DVI teams and with other specialist help.

[aaaaaa]

I think he's absolutley correct in not accepting Foriegn Government aid.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

mee too !

my wife has also explained to me form what she's heard on TV that if aid cash flows into the country - there would be a pretex for corruption. even money donated by Thai people there is a worry that it might end up in pockets of siome oficilas, although Thaksin answered some reporter that if such thing happens he'll make sure that responsible for such corruption person will be punished twice... whatever it means...

but in short - I have no reasons not to trust my thai wife, who says that Thaksin is doing a good and honest job.... don't know about others - seems like there is a lot of critisism going on about him iin this Forum....

[aaaaaa]

... in the eyes of the truly developed nations.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I love this phrase !

corruption? the biggest ever corruption case were in most developed countires - like that, what it was, Watergate scandal or some other stuff like that? the thing is - "developed" countries have much better system of concealing most of corruption facts with their highly developed sophisticated media and other related instituions.... here in Asia it is mre open and evident...

I'm not saying - corruption is good and not so much here and let it be... no - just, I think it is not so much as in some 1st world counries - there it goes on much larger scales.... WTO, UN, IMF, other international global giants..... I know - for such statements I'm gonna get cursed and labeled by some special words by those who are brainwashed by western media propaganda machine.... never mind that... at least some will try to see things in different perspective... so I'm gonna to say this anyway...

the problem is: the standarts for being eligible into this category of "truly developed" are set up by those "truly developed countires" themselves...

although in many other regards - many of "3rd world" countires are much more developed - like culture and ways of conduct. no need many evidences: just compare simple and modest, shy "wai" Thai people give even to total stranger to those famous artificial western smiles worn as mask and shown without heartfull meaning behind.... or pliteness in language: always use of "Ka" or "Krap" - comparing to western languages...

I remember while living couple of years in Malaysia I've read once in some local newspaper (or was it Taiwan?) soething like: "well, we might be not so developed, but in our schools students don't come with guns and shoot classmates"

and it is true - during 2 years of living there in Malaysia I'd never seen any news like that. inter-racial riots - yes. father rapes daughter - many, but always get punished. but never even once - that student, children come to school with gun and shoot other students. same during my 4 years in Bangladesh (very undeveloped country, and very poor), 2 years in Taiwan and 2 years in Thailand....

and Thailand might have crowded classrooms with 51 students - but at least nobody of students kills other students there.

may be it is one of the sign of lesser developement - may be advanced country have to teach them to do so ?

unfortunately most of things are measured in money amount in this world nowdays... the standarts of being developed or not - are mostly in terms of economical developement, military might etc. ah, yeah - technology also....

it can never stop to amaze and amuse me: people from "1st world" and "developed" countries for some reasons come to such undeveloped country like Thailand to live (I suspect - those reasons are good enough to make them change the place of living and going half world accross) and THEN they start to criticise local people for having different values and way of thinking etc and for it being not up to their expectations of standarts.... but somehow they don't wanna go back to their "very developed" countires with superior values , "less corruption" , better quality of life etc. etc. - somehow they prefer to stay here and grumble.... why not to solve this problem once and forever: to go back to one's highly advanced country and live ther happily without worries about "Thai Rak Thai" or whatever ? or perhaps somehow that "developement" or whatever it is prevents them from doing so? then what's the point in trying to make this country same as their? may be then they'll have to go elsewhere, once Thailand becomes same standart of "developed 1st world" country with similar or same values and way of conduct and culture etc ?

Thailand has a long history of trying to take whatever good and best from foreign countries while preserving their own rich culture and way of life. and try as we can and want - it is them who chooses and decides, WHAT's that good and best, not us "aliens" as they call farangs..... perhaps we should just accept this simple fact and let them do so - decide for themselves - or at least be polite enough to say something ONLY when they request us so ? because anyway no matter how many on-line Forums dedicated to such endless discussions will be - Thai people anyway will decide themselves.

[aaaaaa]

This are only shown sources, otherwise my contribution would fail differently!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

thanks man for providing sources....

it is good to see that there are positive people in this forum !

[aaaaaa]

Gosh, maybe Thailand's richer than I thought it was......then why is it their class size in public schools is still in the range of 51 students per classroom, and the compulsory school attendance age is either low or underenforced, and they don't have much high speed internet connections, and nobody seems to know how to make a phone call out of the country, and......

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

ha! these seems to be very exxagerated generalisations based upon subjective opinion and on selected evidences....

common! it is too absolute statement: "seems" .... "nobody ...." - the literal meaning woulde be - not even one single person...

but obviously it is not true.... such absolute statements and argumetns have fallacy of wekness: can be proved otherwise by finding at least one single proof....

internet connection? "not much" ? how much do you need ? I have enough for my need so far...

I've read once in some newspaper in Taiwan (biggest admirer and follower of USA in Asia) that only oficcially every year in USA 15000 kids get kicked out by their own parents from home to sttart living on their own, from the age of 14-15 ... few my friends confirmed such fact with their own experience - that they had to start to find some work to be able to complete their education.... nice ! and how many more - not oficially ? so much advancement ....

at least here in Thailand I don't see kids begging on the streets like in Cambodia and Bangladesh, Nepal, India ... only sometimes on Sukhumvit at night - but I was told by my farang friend who lives here long time as well as other thai friends - that these beggar kids are all from Cambodia .... so, may be not all thai children get proper education - but at least in some way taken care of ... only King of Thailand and royal family do much more work for local orphans than perhaps all western concerned institutions together ! not to mention other foundations... well, in the country where even street stray dogs they try to feed and take care of - what to speak of children ?

perhaps you should try to learn more about this country - especially from the local people themselves, not from never satisfied expats who spent time complaining in this forum or from western mass media with articles with negative attitude ...