Thaksin Speaks Out

[phuketrichard]

Hey the newest from the guy in charge at the conference in Phuket

.

The meeting, held at the Royal Phuket City Hotel, was attended by some 500 people, including Cabinet ministers and scores of other government officials. The Cabinet ministers reported on the progress of the various relief programs assigned to them, after which local businesspeople and other members of the private sector were allowed to comment.

After the meeting, PM Thaksin told the press that the government would continue to support those whose homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed by the tsunami.

“There is 20,000 baht [available] for each person affected by the tsunami. This is just initial relief funding; we will consider additional support on a case-by-case basis.

“The 20,000 baht may not help all victims fully recover, but it should at least get them back on their own feet,” he said.

“Most of us have done our best … and aid has reached the majority of those who need it, but there are still more details to go over. Some sectors may have not have been accounted for yet because they were less directly affected,” he said.

“However, we still need to push more operations to make things work better, as there are [still] some gaps between the central [government’s] policies and the operation of local government organizations,” he said, in reference to widespread complaints that distribution of funds has been slowed to a crawl by bureaucracy"

Still here in Kamala not one baht has been given anyone from the goverment!!!

20,000 baht wont go far to completly rebuild your home or shop house or restaurant. Wouldn't even start!! fearless leader lives in a dream world.

I speak with people here in kamala that are trying to get back on their feet on a daily basis and everyone is compliaing about the goverment and questioning why nothing is being done. The only people helping are the locals and some westerners that have come to help out.

[Rinrada]

From an earlier post

This wont help their case much (with thanks The Times)

Tsunami January 18, 2005

Thai mafia muscles in on disaster relief cash

GANGSTERS are attempting to grab aid money intended for tsunami victims in Thailand.

Construction firms involved in repairing resorts such as Patong Beach say that underworld figures are demanding protection money from them as they try to clear debris and rebuild the seafront.

Owners of hotels and bars in the resort’s red-light district tell how mafia-style gangs are forcing them to submit bogus claims to the Government for damage done by the tidal waves.

The businesses, many owned by Britons, say that the gangsters are determined to profit from the aid operation to make up for the massive drop in their profits as tourists stay away.

The exploits of the criminal gangs are so blatant that when Thaksin Shinawatra, the Thai Prime Minister, walked amid the ruins of Patong Beach recently, he lectured local officials not to let the mafia extort money earmarked for the £1 billion reconstruction plan.

The last thing that Thailand’s leaders want is to face accusations that criminal gangs are profiting from the aid budget and the public’s generosity.

As he chatted to businessmen on Patong Beach, Mr Thaksin said that the reconstruction plans give police and local authorities a chance to wage war on the mafia.

In Patong, business owners applaud the sentiment, but are sceptical that it can succeed. A Mr D.has owned a bar in the bustling Bangla district for 14 months and admits to paying monthly “fees”.

“We still have to pay fees to the gang bosses, even though takings are down.

They are telling us to fake claims for damage as the Government is promising virtually a blank cheque.”

Mr D, from Hertfordshire, said: “They said there will be too many damage claims. How can you eliminate corruption when local officials are in league with the crime bosses?”

One construction firm operator said that a gangster presented him with a list of fees to pay to ensure that his earthmoving equipment avoids damage.

In other cases the mafia’s tactics have been more brutal.

W.S. said that her Swedish husband had been threatened and had put their hotel up for sale. “He went to the embassy, to the police and the town hall.

They were all sympathetic, but said there is nothing they can do.”

Officials in Phuket talk of ridding Patong of its sleaze and transforming it into “the St Tropez of Asia”. .

But in Bangla’s backsteets there is no sign of a war against organised crime, let alone a victory.

...abridged...R

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,...1445406,00.html

[taxexile]

Officials in Phuket talk of ridding Patong of its sleaze and transforming it into “the St Tropez of Asia”. .

osama bin laden will convert to judaism before that carbuncle on phukets west coast becomes sleaze free.

[phuketrichard]

does anyone recall who the mayor of Patong is. forced out of office only to be re-elected! one of the bigset mafia figures around. He stands to make $$$$

Its true that everyone is still being forced to come up with their monthly nut regardless of the fact that the toursits are not around.

Coruption will never leave Patong or anywhere in Thailand. TIT

On the bogus claims, no one is forcing anyone to submit them. they are doing it on their own.

I have 2 friends that have bars and thai wifes that were damaged in kamala. Both farnags told their wifes to tell the the officals when they came around that the damage amounted to less than 250,000 baht (a true figure) Then BOTH thai wifes told the authorities that the damage amounted to over 750,000!!! I was there when it happened and was shocked.

Thai's will be thai's

[The_Eye_Of_Sauron]

The Mafia/Politicians are going to make so much money from this that they will be praying for a new disaster to occur.

The way Indonesia politicians are theiving is by giving the reconstruction contracts to companies they have shares in (contracts priced at inflated levels) - 2 degrees of separation makes it harder to spot.

[Felt 35]

As he chatted to businessmen on Patong Beach, Mr Thaksin said that the reconstruction plans give police and local authorities a chance to wage war on the mafia. 

War on the mafia!

I guess thats a civil war!!

[phuketrichard]

how do you fight yourselve??

the goverment is part of the problem in Patong.

[The_Moog]

The Thaksin has said that the vast majority of stricken people have already received their aid.

Yet Richard says 'not so'.

Someone is not being accurate !

[Erwin1011]

He said it was distributed to the "authorities "

He also said that there were some cases of delays in the distribution from there onwards

[The_Eye_Of_Sauron]

I suppose if the Authorities had kept a lot of it for themselves (eg; buying gold plated jacuzzi for yacht), then distribution will be impeded.

[penzman]

Many residents were showing their anger and people were applauding them on Khun Sarayut's tv show last evening. There is clearly a serious lack of good will from the people in charge.

There was also a woman who's sister and brother in law had died during the tragedy. She went to their plot of land to find their bodies only to be chased by a truck. Apparently someone had decided he owned the land since the owner had died. No trespassing signs all around the property.

[Erwin1011]

The interesting thing will be to see where the concentration of ownwership will be, let's say one year from now. I bet 100 to 1 (satang ) that certain names will start appearing.

[Ajarn]

I'd imagine that since so many places were on illegal land to begin with, that there will be some more big fights to establish control, - or to re-establish control of certain pieces of land...

I opted to donate blood, not money, for the basic reason that I trust the Thai authorities to be corrupt at most any possible opening. Not all, of course, but plenty, for sure.

[phuketrichard]

I speak daily with the kamala school and people that I know here in kamala that are waiting for help. They recived less than 2,000 baht so far from any goverment officals.!!

I don't know and they don't either where the money is but it is NOT going to them. They all know that the may never see any money.

What is 20,000 baht going to do when you need to re-build and restock your business?? With that a restaurant can buy a new tv and stereo only.

What about the building? the kitchen? the supplies.

Many are starting to rebuild their palces on the beach road with their own money as to wait for the goverment they would be a waste of time.

It is heart breaking to drive down to the beach road and see all the bungalows still in shambles and the owners sitting around with nothing to do. Not that it would be any diferent as during the day the beach is void of any tourist.

[The_Moog]

Ok, bearing in mind the Phuket Land Dept is one of the most crooked places in Thailand, this is what I think they'll do.

"Big Hands" will push down the prices of land locally by letting the aid come through slowly and just generally make life tough.

Then, when the landowners get fed up, they will release the rest of the aid - the kicker being that it is as a purchase price for the land itself.

So folk will get the aid money, but sacrifice the land.

"Big Hands" will get free land.

You gotta think like a criminal !

(Ps Since 26/12, Phuket Richard's posts I think have been stellar and outstanding eyewitness accounts. Hats off to him!)

[phuketrichard]

Just trying to keep the truth out there :-)

I don't really know what the intentions are. BUT I do know that there will be many poor people this year in Phuket. Even those that we would consider wealthy, like the hotel owners, are usually in debt to the banks and with few tourists in town and the payments due every month....