What Would You Ask?

[ChangMaiSausage]

I have the opportunity to ask the Thai Priminister (Abhisit Vejjajiva) a few questions this Wednesday, any idea what I should ask....

[bkkjames]

How's Newcastle doing? Icebreaker.

[skybluestu]

Yes, why didn't he accept my facebook friend request, so rude!

[ChangMaiSausage]

Seriously I did think about the Newcastle link, seems I'm from the Boro (dont tell anyone) but thught better of it as he might ridicule me.

Come on any questions that will put him on the spot...

Skybluestu I'll ask him about your Facebook request.

[Jingthing]

When will there be new elections and how can you assure they will be fair elections for a change?

[bkkjames]

Seriously I did think about the Newcastle link, seems I'm from the Boro (dont tell anyone) but thught better of it as he might ridicule me.

Come on any questions that will put him on the spot...

Skybluestu I'll ask him about your Facebook request.

Don't tell him about your Boro links. Anyways, looks like he is reconsidering his trips according to the news....

[SweatySock]

Why not ask him why he doesn't make it easier for "foreigners" who have fathered and support a child in Thailand, to stay here??? Seems like common sense to me that families are encouraged to stay together.

Just my tuppence worth.

[skybluestu]

Why not ask him why he doesn't make it easier for "foreigners" who have fathered and support a child in Thailand, to stay here??? Seems like common sense to me that families are encouraged to stay together.

Just my tuppence worth.

Hear hear, and why foreign women who settle here with a Thai spouse aren't subject to the same requirements that foreign men with a Thai spouse are.

[ChangMaiSausage]

Noted good question.

Bkkjames more info what is happenign with his trips......

Hopefully the meeting on Wednesday will take place in Doha (Qatar)

[MrRichard2009]

Well Jin you and I have more in common than I though ! .... I would ask about elections as well

[bkkjames]

Noted good question.

Bkkjames more info what is happenign with his trips......

Hopefully the meeting on Wednesday will take place in Doha (Qatar)

Just reading the news on the website of the English paper we can't mention on here. Anyways, I suspect that his travel plans will be very last minute for various reasons.

[ArthurPewty]

What aspect of British politics has he tried to implement here?

Best not to mention the 'hands in the till' expenses row.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Why does he surround himself with thugs like Suthep, Thepthai and many others? How can you ever reach national reconcilliation that way?

[chickenslegs]

Where is the best fish and chips/burger/sausage/pork pie/English breakfast in Pattaya?

[rabcbroon]

Having spent his formative and most influential years in England. Having attended Eton and mixed with the affected plastic buffoons churned out by such an elitist establishment, how does he represent the majority of normal Thai people? If he was from Mars then his mind set could not be more at odds with the majority of Thais.

Also who is his boss?

[givenall]

Can he also help small Expat business as well as the big foreign business

can he charge the ownership percentage to 51% for small foreign business so they can have control and hence do impact and invest to business more

[Meridian007]

To expand on Jingthing's idea, what policies are being looked at now to assure that when the elections happen, that they will be as free from corruption and vote-buying as possible? Is there any possibility of involving a neutral third party (country or NGO) to help educate, prepare, and monitor the elections? Any plans to use new technology, such as MIT's new cryptographic voting system that was just released? (I think this new system is a great idea, and provides assurances and empowerment to voters that their votes have meaning)

There will be many questions about the current situation (which I think are valid), but I think now is the time to look ahead and make sure that the future elections can give quantifiable proof of legitimacy. That is the main issue going forward, and the biggest problem that has plagued all the governments since the coup. If the elections cannot be objectively proven as legitimate, this constant bickering and toppling of governments won't stop until the military gets their wish to step in, and make Thailand another Myanmar.

[JetsetBkk]

When will he change the law so that farangs can own land here (just like Thais can in the UK).

[jayjayjayjay]

easy, what is the point of politics?

[needforspeed]

Can you ask him to introduce instead of the Red, Yellow or Blue protesters T-shirts he is willing to finance a purple t-shirt with pink and neon green stars on it, easy for police as well to shoot them by night

[Harcourt]

Can he also help small Expat business as well as the big foreign business

can he charge the ownership percentage to 51% for small foreign business so they can have control and hence do impact and invest to business more

This is a particularly good question because any reasonable analysis would show that there is more contribution to the economy for less exportation of cash or resources, compared to what big foreign business would contribute vs take away.

[Harcourt]

To expand on Jingthing's idea, what policies are being looked at now to assure that when the elections happen, that they will be as free from corruption and vote-buying as possible? Is there any possibility of involving a neutral third party (country or NGO) to help educate, prepare, and monitor the elections? Any plans to use new technology, such as MIT's new cryptographic voting system that was just released? (I think this new system is a great idea, and provides assurances and empowerment to voters that their votes have meaning)

There will be many questions about the current situation (which I think are valid), but I think now is the time to look ahead and make sure that the future elections can give quantifiable proof of legitimacy. That is the main issue going forward, and the biggest problem that has plagued all the governments since the coup. If the elections cannot be objectively proven as legitimate, this constant bickering and toppling of governments won't stop until the military gets their wish to step in, and make Thailand another Myanmar.

This is a good angle too.

In a simmilar vein, "Would you implement a policy that is vital for the country, but may result in you non-re-election?

[quiksilva]

I would like to know whether the new property tax system will ever become law and whether the length of leaseholds will ever be increased to be in line with Thailand's regional counterparts to say, something in the region of 60-90 years, which would make leasehold interests mortgageable assets and offer better security of tenure to long term foreign residents and businesses.

[timekeeper]

i would ask him if he thinks its time to repeal the law restricting alcohol sales between certain times?

i would tell him that it would instantly increase tax revenue for the government, would make sales outlets operators lives easier and would make Thailand less of a source of ridicule by tourists for enforcing this quirky little law

also i would ask him if his pal, London Mayor, Boris Johnson will be visiting Thailand anytime soon?

[JetsetBkk]

<snip>

Also who is his boss?

Yes, good question...

[jayjayjayjay]

Can he execute an Executive Decree to cancel the pointless 90 immigration reporting system that helps no-one, hinders good people following the system and is a ridiculous waste of power/time/fuel/electricity/people to do so.

[khundon]

Ask him where I left my car keys.

[MiG16]

<snip>

Also who is his boss?

Yes, good question...

Adding to the above, which is on most people's minds - locally and internationally

is the question of how does he expect to bring about reconciliatory gestures from the 2 opposing sides in Thailand, given that his foreign minister is seen as being more than biased towards PAD.

or the infamous words of Sondhi L how the Democrats and the PAD are 'on the same team'

I would also be very interested to hear his views on what he thinks is a 'reasonable time needed by the Democrat party to prepare for an election campaign' and why he thinks whats stipulated in the election law is not enough reasonable time (alright, maybe you can only ask the first but not the second part of this question.....)

would be interesting to see the script of the interview.....I assume you will be doing an interview for some sort of publication?

[Nio]

First I would ask "Mr. Prime Minister, did you know there are 100,000 foreign husbands living in Isaan, generating 10.5 billion baht in spending per year with 578,609 jobs created"? Then I would ask him with this kind of financial benefit to the country why are VISA restrictions/VISA runs so hard for foreigners who are married or legally own businesses?

Could mention the amount of money Thailand is losing from people doing VISA runs versus just paying a fee in Thailand?

A rebuttle could be, "Mr. Prime Minister, you, yourself benefitted from the UK welcoming you with open arms to complete your education without doing a VISA run every 90 days.

[MrHammer]

I would ask him if he plans on making it easier for educated, qualified foreigners to get jobs beside teaching English.

And would he like to hit Soi Cowboy later?