Thailand: A Simple Guide To Anarchy And Chaos

[BKjohn]

The nation

Foreign envoys of 40 countries will visit the red shirts protesters at Rajprasong rally sites, red shirts leader Nuttawut Saikua said Friday.

He told the protesters to be a good host by cleaning up the rally sites from Lumpini Park to Ploenjit intersection to welcome the guests.

He siad he would invite the diplomats to be on stage during the visit.

I think he has had too many jaa baa pills :D - this would be the diplomatic faux pa of the century endorsing a violent terrorist mob by appearing at their rally site - may be Thaksin got Mugabe to come

But this is the sort of BS they come up with - unbelievable

[ChiangMaiFun]

Taken with a greater cultural overview - this is paradigm shift happening NOW - countries go through it in different ways. The point is that, at the very basic, grass roots there is a call for CHANGE... a change from the 'old' ways of being ruled by an elitist group who make all the money and have all the power. It is true that most of the 'foot soldiers' will not realize they are a part of this shift - but they are.

Although the story of a lower class awakening and realizing their political power is a compelling and sympathetic one, sadly that is not what we have here. What we have is an exiled politician who is using every means necessary to regain his lost power and money and the red shirts are simply a tool at his disposal, just as the rural population were used to place him into power to begin with.

Any of us who remember how things were under Thaksin will remember that the government was no less elitist than now. In fact Thaksin was accelerating in his consolidation of power and manipulation of the system and any rivals, whether they be in business or politics or in the media, were steamrolled. He was a force of personality and anything he wanted happened, regardless or whether or not it followed legal or other protocols and regardless of the impact on other people.

I am hoping we can get beyond the 'cult' of Thaksin and that eventually he wil be left behind.

[Crash999]

Mr. Abhisit is now suggesting that he could call an election at the end of this year. That stall is dangerous and unlikely to work. The army commander suggested Monday that it might be necessary to meet the protesters' demand that the parliament be dissolved and a new election called immediately. Meanwhile, Mr. Abhisit's party is under threat of being forced from office by a court order -- just like the past two pro-Thaksin prime ministers.

If the red shirts are so confident in their ability to win an election then the government agreeing to call elections later this year can be considered a victory as, after all, it will ensure that they will shortly be coming into power.

The red shirts can negotiate a fixed date for the election and leave Bangkok after holding press conferences declaring how this is a victory for democracy and the voice of the people has been heard- it would appear to observers to be the moral high ground.

Yet the red shirts press on with their current campaign, refusing to accept anything beyond immediate dissolution of the government. Why risk loss of life and potentially bring the situation to a crisis point for the sake of just a few months of time?

But previously Abhisit thought house dissolution should be immediate, wouldn't that also solve the problem.

Abhist also claims (as he did on CNN in his interview with Dan R. ) that the Democrats would win.

And back then the PPP also didn't waiver. Anyhow, that is history and I find it hard to believe that the red shirts would be motivated by a grudge against Abhisit. What they should be concerned about is what is the best possible outcome for them at the moment, and risking victory in an upcoming election seems unwise unless they don't have a high level of confidence that they will win or there are other motivating factors at play here.

[whiterussian]

The fortune that Thaksin accumulated was/is obscene, yes, but Thaksin's wealth is rather small when you compare it to the entire wealth of the old money elite ruling the country.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/09/23/thailands...ealth_land.html

here is thailands rich list Thaksin number 16th position.. the yellow one at the top is a clan that owns central, robinsons etc.. at least 8 times as rich as Thaksin.

probably the area the red fortress is on, or at least the shops its blocking. Meat cleavers at dawn?

If you think the people on this list arent pulling strings...

Thailand needs a system of monitoring donations, and bribes Soooooo badly. Trouble is... even the US cant seem to do it properly...

However... the UK is pretty good... the daily papers can sniff out any dodgy deals.. but then again, would Thai people have time to watch the news about such dodgy deals, between soap operas and slapstick game shows?

p.s:

number 21

Nishitha shah

Net Worth $280 million

Age 29

Marital Status Single

If you are reading this, nishita, send me a PM

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/85/thaila...-Shah_PAJB.html

Edited April 23, 2010 by whiterussian

[ChiangMaiFun]

Absolute rubbish - 'shift' is happening - we move slowly forward - away from the elite who bankroll themselves and their family's lives to the detriment of the poor - here we have it - young and stupid 'boys' crashing their Porches into reds that Mummy and Daddy bought them - and we have poor Issan farmers who scrape together 100 baht a day if they are very lucky - change is coming - slowly, deftly and surely - it's a cultural shift that cannot die and will happen.

Don't think 'scaring' the poor into believing that western banks, with all their money grabbing, bonus loving greed can save them - and, of course, nor can the loan sharks. Shame on you for siding with the elite as they struggle and grasp and cradle their wealth and power at the expense of ordinary Thais.

CMF, you're making the statement about the "young and stupid 'boys' crashing their Porches" as if this doesn't happen with the children of the rich reds.

The ease with which the rich (on all sides) get away with crimes or with a slap on the wrist is a big problem in Thailand. But it isn't just the children of the 'elite' where this happens.

I am consistently against exploitation of any kind – by whatever colour – it seems to me that, generally, yellows represent more the elite, rich and powerful more than the reds (Thaksin aside) – I sincerely hope that Thailand get’s through this and sense prevails – I have long been very saddened by the very rich in BKK running and ruining the basic, decent people of the Kingdom.

But it is sickenning when I read of these rich kids and their 'toys, paid for by their Daddy's and Mummies - it just grates with me - if they earnt it I am less critical but it stinks frankly when some earn less than 100 baht a day which would not pay for their hair gel.

[hammered]

Absolute rubbish - 'shift' is happening - we move slowly forward - away from the elite who bankroll themselves and their family's lives to the detriment of the poor - here we have it - young and stupid 'boys' crashing their Porches into reds that Mummy and Daddy bought them - and we have poor Issan farmers who scrape together 100 baht a day if they are very lucky - change is coming - slowly, deftly and surely - it's a cultural shift that cannot die and will happen.

Don't think 'scaring' the poor into believing that western banks, with all their money grabbing, bonus loving greed can save them - and, of course, nor can the loan sharks. Shame on you for siding with the elite as they struggle and grasp and cradle their wealth and power at the expense of ordinary Thais.

CMF, you're making the statement about the "young and stupid 'boys' crashing their Porches" as if this doesn't happen with the children of the rich reds.

The ease with which the rich (on all sides) get away with crimes or with a slap on the wrist is a big problem in Thailand. But it isn't just the children of the 'elite' where this happens.

I am consistently against exploitation of any kind – by whatever colour – it seems to me that, generally, yellows represent more the elite, rich and powerful more than the reds (Thaksin aside) – I sincerely hope that Thailand get’s through this and sense prevails – I have long been very saddened by the very rich in BKK running and ruining the basic, decent people of the Kingdom.

But it is sickenning when I read of these rich kids and their 'toys, paid for by their Daddy's and Mummies - it just grates with me - if they earnt it I am less critical but it stinks frankly when some earn less than 100 baht a day which would not pay for their hair gel.

You dont have to go as far as BKK to find the rich and poweful who are ruining the poor people's lkives. Every province has its own. Funnily enough though they tend to be in the PTP, which is why nothing will change whatever happens. It is easy to have a hate Bangkok thing because they exert little power in the villages. It is more dififcult to have a hate the local exploiters thjing when they control the money lending, the milling, the mafia, and every service the villagers require. Until this group is dealt with nothing will change and Thailand will remain partailly feudal

[rixalex]

But previously Abhisit thought house dissolution should be immediate, wouldn't that also solve the problem.

Abhist also claims (as he did on CNN in his interview with Dan R. ) that the Democrats would win.

And back then the PPP also didn't waiver.

Ironically, had they of done they might still be in power now.

[LevelHead]

Mr. Abhisit is now suggesting that he could call an election at the end of this year. That stall is dangerous and unlikely to work. The army commander suggested Monday that it might be necessary to meet the protesters' demand that the parliament be dissolved and a new election called immediately. Meanwhile, Mr. Abhisit's party is under threat of being forced from office by a court order -- just like the past two pro-Thaksin prime ministers.

If the red shirts are so confident in their ability to win an election then the government agreeing to call elections later this year can be considered a victory as, after all, it will ensure that they will shortly be coming into power.

The red shirts can negotiate a fixed date for the election and leave Bangkok after holding press conferences declaring how this is a victory for democracy and the voice of the people has been heard- it would appear to observers to be the moral high ground.

Yet the red shirts press on with their current campaign, refusing to accept anything beyond immediate dissolution of the government. Why risk loss of life and potentially bring the situation to a crisis point for the sake of just a few months of time?

But previously Abhisit thought house dissolution should be immediate, wouldn't that also solve the problem.

Abhist also claims (as he did on CNN in his interview with Dan R. ) that the Democrats would win.

And back then the PPP also didn't waiver. Anyhow, that is history and I find it hard to believe that the red shirts would be motivated by a grudge against Abhisit. What they should be concerned about is what is the best possible outcome for them at the moment, and risking victory in an upcoming election seems unwise unless they don't have a high level of confidence that they will win or there are other motivating factors at play here.

The thing most people are missing and which "prevents" them from seeing a more clear picture and that leaves them "puzzled" as to why no action is being taken was raised on page 1 of this thread. Read the initial post and my post there.

To emphasize again :

Reds want immediate house dissolution as this prevents the military reshuffle.

The plans in the reshuffle are to bring all pro-Yellow commanders up and then after that hold a coup before any election.

Therefore any offer of any election after the re-shuffle is pointless, as there will be a coup before any election, just like in 2006 where a coup was held 1 month prior to the planned election.

The military in its present form is quite "fair" in that there is sufficient balance to prevent a coup.

The Reds want an election held under the present Military set up.

Therefore in very simple terms one major issue of the present battle is to stop the Military reshuffle being rigged by Team Yellow, which will then firm up Team Yellow power again such that they can hold a coup before any election gets near to happening.

This is why the Police are dis-interested, its not their fight.

This is why the Army is split, as Army Team Not Yellow are quite happy to spoil the plans of Army Team Yellow.

Such it is that you now have a stalemate.

Team Yellow or Camp 1 want to shuffle and allow them to hold a coup.

Team Red or Camp 2 are fully aware of those plans and doing their best to stop it happening.

Why is that major aspect so difficult for many TV forum posters to understand.

[BKjohn]

The fortune that Thaksin accumulated was/is obscene, yes, but Thaksin's wealth is rather small when you compare it to the entire wealth of the old money elite ruling the country.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/09/23/thailands...ealth_land.html

here is thailands rich list Thaksin number 16th position.. the yellow one at the top is a clan that owns central, robinsons etc.. at least 8 times as rich as Thaksin.

probably the area the red fortress is on, or at least the shops its blocking. Meat cleavers at dawn?

If you think the people on this list arent pulling strings...

Thailand needs a system of monitoring donations, and bribes Soooooo badly. Trouble is... even the US cant seem to do it properly...

However... the UK is pretty good... the daily papers can sniff out any dodgy deals.. but then again, would Thai people have time to watch the news about such dodgy deals, between soap operas and slapstick game shows?

p.s:

number 21

Nishitha shah

Net Worth $280 million

Age 29

Marital Status Single

Again, totally misleading information - Forbes only lists those people who's wealth is traceable and legal otherwise some Columbian drug dealer would be on the top of the list or Thaksin.

What is the point in posting this misleading info ??

What is wrong with a clever business man having worked hard taken risks and become rich ?

Thaksin did it by using his position as PM of this country.

I feel I have gone to sleep and awaken in some strange Maoist country where only one man is allowed to be rich – Thaksin – never mind that he did it by illegal means – it seems to be fashionable to bash the “elite” without which Thailand would still be in the dark ages …….. you could not build a kilometer of road with the annual taxes coming from street vendors or farmers here because they don’t pay any – its those companies that pay the taxes that make an infrastructure possible

Edited April 23, 2010 by BKjohn

[chadintheusa]

The fortune that Thaksin accumulated was/is obscene, yes, but Thaksin's wealth is rather small when you compare it to the entire wealth of the old money elite ruling the country.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/09/23/thailands...ealth_land.html

here is thailands rich list Thaksin number 16th position.. the yellow one at the top is a clan that owns central, robinsons etc.. at least 8 times as rich as Thaksin.

probably the area the red fortress is on, or at least the shops its blocking. Meat cleavers at dawn?

Well Thaksin did just have the courts agree to give him back 1 billion so that will shoot him up the list. Plus we all know that most of his assets were put in the names of other family members, so I don't think that 400 million is an accurate estimate of his net worth.

Either way he still has more money than I do, and the 10,000 protesters have combined.

Edited April 23, 2010 by chadintheusa

[Crash999]

here is thailands rich list Thaksin number 16th position.. the yellow one at the top is a clan that owns central, robinsons etc.. at least 8 times as rich as Thaksin.

I'm sure you'll recall the time when Thaksin passed the majority of his fortune to his family members, thereby supposedly removing himself from any potential conflicts of interest when it came to government dealings. Suddenly he was no longer a billionaire.

And this is only what's on record- there were lots of overseas telecom deals, for example in Myanmar and the Middle East that have enabled Thaksin to live comfortably overseas desipite his assets in Thailand having been frozen.

[Crash999]

Why is that major aspect so difficult for many TV forum posters to understand.

Because it sounds closer to an Oliver Stone movie than anything resembling reality.

I'm sure the upcoming yearly capital expenditure allocations have absolutely nothing to do with the timing of elections.

[quiksilva]

The thing most people are missing and which "prevents" them from seeing a more clear picture and that leaves them "puzzled" as to why no action is being taken was raised on page 1 of this thread. Read the initial post and my post there.

To emphasize again :

Reds want immediate house dissolution as this prevents the military reshuffle.

The plans in the reshuffle are to bring all pro-Yellow commanders up and then after that hold a coup before any election.

Therefore any offer of any election after the re-shuffle is pointless, as there will be a coup before any election, just like in 2006 where a coup was held 1 month prior to the planned election.

The military in its present form is quite "fair" in that there is sufficient balance to prevent a coup.

The Reds want an election held under the present Military set up.

Therefore in very simple terms one major issue of the present battle is to stop the Military reshuffle being rigged by Team Yellow, which will then firm up Team Yellow power again such that they can hold a coup before any election gets near to happening.

This is why the Police are dis-interested, its not their fight.

This is why the Army is split, as Army Team Not Yellow are quite happy to spoil the plans of Army Team Yellow.

Such it is that you now have a stalemate.

Team Yellow or Camp 1 want to shuffle and allow them to hold a coup.

Team Red or Camp 2 are fully aware of those plans and doing their best to stop it happening.

Why is that major aspect so difficult for many TV forum posters to understand.

Your posts are difficult to understand because you just make so much shit up.

Actually its not so made but ever so slightly misunderstood. As the old saying goes, the devil is in the details.

The military maybe balanced now, but Anupong is retiring this year. Unfortunately, what is at issue is whether his replacement is pro red or pro yellow.

This is due to happen before the next elections any way, the reds of course want their men in situ so that they can comfortably control the ammendment of the charter and arrange for amnesty of their beloved crooked banned MP's including the convicted, corrupt felon and abuser of human rights, Thaksin.

The government want to have elections after this to ensure that this does not happen.

Edited April 23, 2010 by quiksilva

[rixalex]

The thing most people are missing and which "prevents" them from seeing a more clear picture and that leaves them "puzzled" as to why no action is being taken was raised on page 1 of this thread. Read the initial post and my post there.

To emphasize again :

Reds want immediate house dissolution as this prevents the military reshuffle.

Not only that the reds want to prevent it, but they want to shuffle it themselves, and if/when they do, will they shuffle it based on merit for the good of the country, or will they shuffle it so as to take control? As someone else said, this is simply politics 101. Stop pretending that the reds are in all this for the good of the country or have any different motives from the Dems. They don't. It's all about getting power and consolidating for the reds. For the Dems it's all about trying to keep power and consolidating too. No difference.

The plans in the reshuffle are to bring all pro-Yellow commanders up and then after that hold a coup before any election.

This is simply wild conjecture. I'm not buying.

Edited April 23, 2010 by rixalex

[whiterussian]

here is thailands rich list Thaksin number 16th position.. the yellow one at the top is a clan that owns central, robinsons etc.. at least 8 times as rich as Thaksin.

I'm sure you'll recall the time when Thaksin passed the majority of his fortune to his family members, thereby supposedly removing himself from any potential conflicts of interest when it came to government dealings. Suddenly he was no longer a billionaire.

And this is only what's on record- there were lots of overseas telecom deals, for example in Myanmar and the Middle East that have enabled Thaksin to live comfortably overseas desipite his assets in Thailand having been frozen.

Sounds likely, but the point still stands... Thaksin isnt the only big fish in this small pond... especially if a few ganged together, which i'm sure they do...

[Roadman]

You said it yourself that Anupong has been quite fair. That is what the current Army structure has far in its favour vs the "new" Army that could come into place from the current Army fractions who are playing for power with / or around the Red leadership. That is bloody frightening for the future of Thailand. Thaksin and his croonies would not even be able to contain this lot. The Isaan poor willl be well rewarded with their own bloodier hardship to bear with their ongoing pittance.

[Crash999]

Sounds likely, but the point still stands... Thaksin isnt the only big fish in this small pond... especially if a few ganged together, which i'm sure they do...

Point taken. However, what separated Thaksin from the others was his political ambitions and his desire to consolidate power and control- towards the end he seemed almost above the law. Don't like the drug situation? Just shoot everyone involved with drugs and the problem will be solved. Foreign competition encroaching on his business? Rewrite the laws regarding foreign ownership of businesses. The list goes on and on. He made too many enemies in business, politics, and the media and paid the price.

[rabo]

The fortune that Thaksin accumulated was/is obscene, yes, but Thaksin's wealth is rather small when you compare it to the entire wealth of the old money elite ruling the country.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/09/23/thailands...ealth_land.html

here is thailands rich list Thaksin number 16th position.. the yellow one at the top is a clan that owns central, robinsons etc.. at least 8 times as rich as Thaksin.

probably the area the red fortress is on, or at least the shops its blocking. Meat cleavers at dawn?

If you think the people on this list arent pulling strings...

Thailand needs a system of monitoring donations, and bribes Soooooo badly. Trouble is... even the US cant seem to do it properly...

However... the UK is pretty good... the daily papers can sniff out any dodgy deals.. but then again, would Thai people have time to watch the news about such dodgy deals, between soap operas and slapstick game shows?

p.s:

number 21

Nishitha shah

Net Worth $280 million

Age 29

Marital Status Single

If you are reading this, nishita, send me a PM

Nice data, it's always good to see facts.

As far as the rating, I think it is reported wealth and does not include the amount of money frozen in thailand. It is also believed by some that he and his wife may have removed other funds that have never shown up. Rumor mill, etc.

Just asked nishita what her thoughts are, take it as you see fit.

Edited April 23, 2010 by rabo

[RandyWhite]

Taken with a greater cultural overview - this is paradigm shift happening NOW - countries go through it in different ways. The point is that, at the very basic, grass roots there is a call for CHANGE... a change from the 'old' ways of being ruled by an elitist group who make all the money and have all the power. It is true that most of the 'foot soldiers' will not realize they are a part of this shift - but they are.

Although the story of a lower class awakening and realizing their political power is a compelling and sympathetic one, sadly that is not what we have here. What we have is an exiled politician who is using every means necessary to regain his lost power and money and the red shirts are simply a tool at his disposal, just as the rural population were used to place him into power to begin with.

Any of us who remember how things were under Thaksin will remember that the government was no less elitist than now. In fact Thaksin was accelerating in his consolidation of power and manipulation of the system and any rivals, whether they be in business or politics or in the media, were steamrolled. He was a force of personality and anything he wanted happened, regardless or whether or not it followed legal or other protocols and regardless of the impact on other people.

Not to mention Thaksin's 'galloping hubris' following his rather fortuitous "landslide" win in the election which the tsunami disaster came in the middle of.

Or the quota of several thousand or so he set for drug dealers to be killed during his "War on (people who are not big fish and not allied with me) drugs i.e. his basic modus operandi: Get behind me and you will prosper,fail to do so and your life will be become very difficult or very short.

As the saying goes, 'It's an ill wind that blows no good".

Thaksin makes even 'Tricky Dicky' Nixon look good.

[steveromagnino]

The fortune that Thaksin accumulated was/is obscene, yes, but Thaksin's wealth is rather small when you compare it to the entire wealth of the old money elite ruling the country.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/09/23/thailands...ealth_land.html

I have kindly ammended your list, so you can see that in fact, most of the first 30 at least of your list, are in fact the cornerstones of this so called Prai revolution; these are the group that profited hugely from TRT at the expense of the commoner.

In advance, I can only comment from personal knowledge, and a few like K Chaleo play their hands close to their chest and I don't personally know them so cannot comment on their political stance.

Enjoy.

Edited April 23, 2010 by steveromagnino

[dobadoy]

You dont have to go as far as BKK to find the rich and poweful who are ruining the poor people's lkives. Every province has its own. Funnily enough though they tend to be in the PTP, which is why nothing will change whatever happens. It is easy to have a hate Bangkok thing because they exert little power in the villages. It is more dififcult to have a hate the local exploiters thjing when they control the money lending, the milling, the mafia, and every service the villagers require. Until this group is dealt with nothing will change and Thailand will remain partailly feudal

Wise words these, and little understood by those expats who do not speak Thai. There's a whole world of local oppression going on under your very noses that your wives and girlfriends are too embarrassed to tell you about, believe me. Learn the language, and you'll start to understand what this private war is really about.

There is no 'voice of the people' - nobody in Thailand does anything without the say-so of someone higher up - father, puu yaai barn, local police chief, local politician, and so on. The demonstrators are there because someone has organised and allowed them to be there. Once their political masters have no use for them they'll go back to their ampheurs and keep quiet. They won't come out and protest about continuing or even worsening oppression just as they haven't before because they won't be allowed to. No cultural revolution, no awakening of the masses, just filthy manipulation.

Edited April 23, 2010 by dobadoy

[bkkjames]

The fortune that Thaksin accumulated was/is obscene, yes, but Thaksin's wealth is rather small when you compare it to the entire wealth of the old money elite ruling the country.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/09/23/thailands...ealth_land.html

I have kindly ammended your list, so you can see that in fact, most of the first 30 at least of your list, are in fact the cornerstones of this so called Prai revolution; these are the group that profited hugely from TRT at the expense of the commoner.

In advance, I can only comment from personal knowledge, and a few like K Chaleo play their hands close to their chest and I don't personally know them so cannot comment on their political stance.

Enjoy.

Perhaps this is the easiest way to poke a huge hole in this whole load of rubbish about who is funding the red shirts etc etc.

Don't do that Stevie, grandpops will say the list has been manipulated by the deputy PM.

[rixalex]

You dont have to go as far as BKK to find the rich and poweful who are ruining the poor people's lkives. Every province has its own. Funnily enough though they tend to be in the PTP, which is why nothing will change whatever happens. It is easy to have a hate Bangkok thing because they exert little power in the villages. It is more dififcult to have a hate the local exploiters thjing when they control the money lending, the milling, the mafia, and every service the villagers require. Until this group is dealt with nothing will change and Thailand will remain partailly feudal

Wise words these, and little understood by those expats who do not speak Thai. There's a whole world of local oppression going on under your very noses that your wives and girlfriends are too embarrassed to tell you about, believe me. Learn the language, and you'll start to understand what this private war is really about.

There is no 'voice of the people' - nobody in Thailand does anything without the say-so of someone higher up - father, puu yaai barn, local police chief, local politician, and so on. The demonstrators are there because someone has organised and allowed them to be there. Once their political masters have no use for them they'll go back to their ampheurs and keep quiet. They won't come out and protest about continuing or even worsening oppression just as they haven't before because they won't be allowed to. No cultural revolution, no awakening of the masses, just filthy manipulation.

Some great posts in this thread. Two above are no exception. Completely agree.

[humfurry]

The fortune that Thaksin accumulated was/is obscene, yes, but Thaksin's wealth is rather small when you compare it to the entire wealth of the old money elite ruling the country.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/09/23/thailands...ealth_land.html

here is thailands rich list Thaksin number 16th position.. the yellow one at the top is a clan that owns central, robinsons etc.. at least 8 times as rich as Thaksin.

probably the area the red fortress is on, or at least the shops its blocking. Meat cleavers at dawn?

If you think the people on this list arent pulling strings...

Thailand needs a system of monitoring donations, and bribes Soooooo badly. Trouble is... even the US cant seem to do it properly...

However... the UK is pretty good... the daily papers can sniff out any dodgy deals.. but then again, would Thai people have time to watch the news about such dodgy deals, between soap operas and slapstick game shows?

p.s:

number 21

Nishitha shah

Net Worth $280 million

Age 29

Marital Status Single

If you are reading this, nishita, send me a PM

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/85/thaila...-Shah_PAJB.html

What year were those stats from?

[ChiangMaiFun]

You dont have to go as far as BKK to find the rich and poweful who are ruining the poor people's lkives. Every province has its own. Funnily enough though they tend to be in the PTP, which is why nothing will change whatever happens. It is easy to have a hate Bangkok thing because they exert little power in the villages. It is more dififcult to have a hate the local exploiters thjing when they control the money lending, the milling, the mafia, and every service the villagers require. Until this group is dealt with nothing will change and Thailand will remain partailly feudal

Wise words these, and little understood by those expats who do not speak Thai. There's a whole world of local oppression going on under your very noses that your wives and girlfriends are too embarrassed to tell you about, believe me. Learn the language, and you'll start to understand what this private war is really about.

There is no 'voice of the people' - nobody in Thailand does anything without the say-so of someone higher up - father, puu yaai barn, local police chief, local politician, and so on. The demonstrators are there because someone has organised and allowed them to be there. Once their political masters have no use for them they'll go back to their ampheurs and keep quiet. They won't come out and protest about continuing or even worsening oppression just as they haven't before because they won't be allowed to. No cultural revolution, no awakening of the masses, just filthy manipulation.

Some great posts in this thread. Two above are no exception. Completely agree.

Exploitation, in any guise, is to be deplored - yes there is this going on at every level - but I was rather commenting on the political exploitation which is at national (i.e. BKK) level - what get's me is they all go to the Temple and Wai to Buddha - they are all pieces of sh1t who will reap a BITTER harvest.

[danc]

The fortune that Thaksin accumulated was/is obscene, yes, but Thaksin's wealth is rather small when you compare it to the entire wealth of the old money elite ruling the country.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/09/23/thailands...ealth_land.html

I have kindly ammended your list, so you can see that in fact, most of the first 30 at least of your list, are in fact the cornerstones of this so called Prai revolution; these are the group that profited hugely from TRT at the expense of the commoner.

In advance, I can only comment from personal knowledge, and a few like K Chaleo play their hands close to their chest and I don't personally know them so cannot comment on their political stance.

Enjoy.

Perhaps this is the easiest way to poke a huge hole in this whole load of rubbish about who is funding the red shirts etc etc.

Don't do that Stevie, grandpops will say the list has been manipulated by the deputy PM.

I think you'll find that the deputy pm would already have called a press conference to announce he had changed it!

[rixalex]

Exploitation, in any guise, is to be deplored - yes there is this going on at every level -

This is the problem with the red movement. It's selective in the exploitation that it deplores, added to which it (and its political wing) is as guilty of exploitation as anyone else.

[dobadoy]

Exploitation, in any guise, is to be deplored - yes there is this going on at every level - but I was rather commenting on the political exploitation which is at national (i.e. BKK) level - what get's me is they all go to the Temple and Wai to Buddha - they are all pieces of sh1t who will reap a BITTER harvest.

Don't confuse the issue, my wife's red-supporting cousin (he's down there now, in Rachaprasong) goes to temple, wais the buddha, then goes off to bet on cock-fights, which strikes me as pretty un-buddhist. he also has no qualms about running up big gambling debte and letting his hard-working sister (works 16 hours a day in a hotel) - a non-red whose told him to get the hel_l out of Rachaprasong - pay his gambling debts off for him and take all the burden of sending most of what little money she earns to their folks. Basically, he's a waste of space, but right now he's being lauded as a working class hero by people who frankluy know not what the F*** they're talking about.

Edited April 23, 2010 by dobadoy

[ChiangMaiFun]

Exploitation, in any guise, is to be deplored - yes there is this going on at every level - but I was rather commenting on the political exploitation which is at national (i.e. BKK) level - what get's me is they all go to the Temple and Wai to Buddha - they are all pieces of sh1t who will reap a BITTER harvest.

Don't confuse the issue, my wife's red-supporting cousin (he's down there now, in Rachaprasong) goes to temple, wais the buddha, then goes off to bet on cock-fights, which strikes me as pretty un-buddhist. he also has no qualms about running up big gambling debte and letting his hard-working sister (works 16 hours a day in a hotel) - a non-red whose told him to get the hel_l out of Rachaprasong - pay his gambling debts off for him and take all the burden of sending most of what little money she earns to their folks. Basically, he's a waste of space, but right now he's being lauded as a working class hero by people who frankluy know not what the F*** they're talking about.

There is NO confusion friend - your wife's cousin as no clue, whatsoever, why he is Wai-ing and will reap what he has sown - true of reds, yellows and any other colour. If we had more sincere Buddhists in charge there would be none of this. I advise your hard-working sister to cut him off and let him accept responsibility himself - anyway we are going way off topic.

[ChiangMaiFun]

Exploitation, in any guise, is to be deplored - yes there is this going on at every level -

This is the problem with the red movement. It's selective in the exploitation that it deplores, added to which it (and its political wing) is as guilty of exploitation as anyone else.

Not just the reds - they are all at it. But we have to see a way forward and all I see with the 'yellow way' is more of the same - I am hoping if there was a more 'redder way' that, after they ditched Thaksin, power might be slightly more evenly distributed - a dream maybe but we have to dream too that one day Thailand will grow up from a 12 year year ole horror into a mature young early 20s something with a bright future (about 50 years away I'd guess).