Powerful Families Controlling Thailand?

[samran]

You got to see the bigger picture. A lot of it has to do with education and opportunity. There just isn't a level playing field. Yes, you can get this in other countries as well, even in the West. Just because it is there doesn't mean it's right.

I had a Thai-Chinese girlfriend once whose father owned a variey of property and businesses around Bangkok. He had a Thai Chauffer who became his friend. The Chauffer was from Isaan and my gf said that he took care of his family well while saving to open a small restaurant on the outskirts of Bangkok. My gf's father often said that the Chauffer was smarter than his two nephews, who liked fast cars and living up the playboy lifestyle. Her father had total trust in this man from Isaan. They used to have meetings about the businesses. I was at one once. The father was trying to expand and needed a manager. He wasn't happy somehow about letting either of his nephews manage. So he asked my GF. She didn't want to but would do it if needed.

I asked her afterwards why her father didn't ask the Chauffer to manage it. After all he had her fathers trust and was hard working and intelligent. Wouild it not be great for him and his family for him to have a better income and a higher postion. Her reply was "We don't want him to have a better job because he might be better and learn too much, his people need to be down"

I am not with her any more.

and I'd argue that your ex's family company is going to struggle when the next generation take over.

Nothing wrong as far as I can see if a family business wants to promote its own. It is a private business and they can make and squander their money as they wish. It is a free world.

Equally, there are opposite stories to yours. My cousins family business promoted their driver to be in charge of administering one of their factories. Not bad for a poor man from Issan. Additionally, his entire family have been well taken care of in terms of jobs, education and health care by their employer.

For every cr@p story like yours, there is a good one, probably two stories.

As for public companies, well, that is a different story and shareholders generally want good outcomes, and for the handful of top public companies I've advised or spoken to (the ones usually seen in these threads as the ones 'ruling Thailand' behind the scenes) they tend to hire the best and brightest from Thailand...and overseas. And they don't care what their surname is.

The CFO of one of Thailand's largest companies Banpu Plc (Market cap circa US$5bn) started there as a telephone operator in the early 1980's. She is female and Muslim.

Nevertheless, for some public companies there is a generational change issue, many started off as family business, grew to be successful under the stewardship of the family head, and in many cases, by their children. The third generation transition is an issue, and that is yet to be fully digested by many companies.

Similarly for a range of former SOE's who are now publicly listed but still have a majority shareholding by government, the transition to proper private sector fundamentals will take two decades at least. But as Thai Airways (for instance) is finally discovering, is essential that you hire good people to run a company, lest you run it into the ground.

Still the government itself has what I'd term as a wonderful scholarship system which allows many, many Thai's to study at the worlds best universities for free, so long as they repay their time studying with 2 years working as a civil servant. I know many a young, bright and relatively disadvantaged kids come through that system, and the previous generation who similarly came from humble backgrounds who are now senior policy makers.

As I said, there is nepotism in Thailand. And there are your fair share of plonkers.

But in terms of SE Asia it is probably has the most elements of meritocracy that you'll find in both the private and public sectors. It certainly isn't Indonesia or the Philippines where there are literally handful of ruling families, nor it is it like Singapore, where unless your family name is 'Lee' you'll struggle to get to the top.

In terms of what people want Thailand to be, do they want it to be like the US for instance. I mean, for the sake of a couple of thousand democratic primary votes, we could have had succesive US presidents with the surnames of Bush, Clinton, Bush and um, Clinton.

What was that about powerful families again?

[Neurath]

Thailand's Richest 40 - From Forbes Magazine

1. Dhanin Chearavanont
2. Chaleo Yoovidhya
3. Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi
4. Chirathivat family
5. Krit Ratanarak
6. Aloke Lohia
7. Chamnong Bhirombhakdi
8. Thongma Vijitpongpun
9. Vichai Maleenont
10. Isara Vongkusolkit
11. Praneetsilpa Vacharaphol
12. Vanich Chaiyawan
13. Keeree Kanjanapas
14. Somporn Juangroongruangkit
15. Surang Prempree
16. Prayudh Mahagitsiri
17. Anant Asavabhokin
18. Kraisorn Chansiri
19. William E. Heinecke
20. Sunsurn Jurangkool
21. Boonchai Bencharongkul
22. Prapa & Wit Viriyaprapaikit
23. Thaksin Shinawatra
24. Nishita Shah Federbush
25. Worawit Weeraborwornpong
26. Chamroon Chinthammit
27. Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth
28. Nijaporn Charanachitta
29. Premchai Karnasuta
30. Niti Osathanugrah
31. Roongroj Saengsastra
32. Chalerm Yoovidhya
33. Prateep Tangmatitham
34. Virot Thanalongkorn
35. Vichai Raksriaksorn
36. Porndee Lee-Issaranukul
37. Vicha Poolvaraluck
38. Plew Trivisvavet
39. Petch & Ratch Osathanugrah
40. Pongsak Viddayakorn

[waza]

Thailand's Richest 40 - From Forbes Magazine

1. Dhanin Chearavanont
2. Chaleo Yoovidhya
3. Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi
4. Chirathivat family
5. Krit Ratanarak
6. Aloke Lohia
7. Chamnong Bhirombhakdi
8. Thongma Vijitpongpun
9. Vichai Maleenont
10. Isara Vongkusolkit
11. Praneetsilpa Vacharaphol
12. Vanich Chaiyawan
13. Keeree Kanjanapas
14. Somporn Juangroongruangkit
15. Surang Prempree
16. Prayudh Mahagitsiri
17. Anant Asavabhokin
18. Kraisorn Chansiri
19. William E. Heinecke
20. Sunsurn Jurangkool
21. Boonchai Bencharongkul
22. Prapa & Wit Viriyaprapaikit
23. Thaksin Shinawatra
24. Nishita Shah Federbush
25. Worawit Weeraborwornpong
26. Chamroon Chinthammit
27. Prasert Prasarttong-Osoth
28. Nijaporn Charanachitta
29. Premchai Karnasuta
30. Niti Osathanugrah
31. Roongroj Saengsastra
32. Chalerm Yoovidhya
33. Prateep Tangmatitham
34. Virot Thanalongkorn
35. Vichai Raksriaksorn
36. Porndee Lee-Issaranukul
37. Vicha Poolvaraluck
38. Plew Trivisvavet
39. Petch & Ratch Osathanugrah
40. Pongsak Viddayakorn

How many of these were/are politicians?

[MJP]

You got to see the bigger picture. A lot of it has to do with education and opportunity. There just isn't a level playing field. Yes, you can get this in other countries as well, even in the West. Just because it is there doesn't mean it's right.

I had a Thai-Chinese girlfriend once whose father owned a variey of property and businesses around Bangkok. He had a Thai Chauffer who became his friend. The Chauffer was from Isaan and my gf said that he took care of his family well while saving to open a small restaurant on the outskirts of Bangkok. My gf's father often said that the Chauffer was smarter than his two nephews, who liked fast cars and living up the playboy lifestyle. Her father had total trust in this man from Isaan. They used to have meetings about the businesses. I was at one once. The father was trying to expand and needed a manager. He wasn't happy somehow about letting either of his nephews manage. So he asked my GF. She didn't want to but would do it if needed.

I asked her afterwards why her father didn't ask the Chauffer to manage it. After all he had her fathers trust and was hard working and intelligent. Wouild it not be great for him and his family for him to have a better income and a higher postion. Her reply was "We don't want him to have a better job because he might be better and learn too much, his people need to be down"

I am not with her any more.

and I'd argue that your ex's family company is going to struggle when the next generation take over.

Nothing wrong as far as I can see if a family business wants to promote its own. It is a private business and they can make and squander their money as they wish. It is a free world.

Equally, there are opposite stories to yours. My cousins family business promoted their driver to be in charge of administering one of their factories. Not bad for a poor man from Issan. Additionally, his entire family have been well taken care of in terms of jobs, education and health care by their employer.

For every cr@p story like yours, there is a good one, probably two stories.

As for public companies, well, that is a different story and shareholders generally want good outcomes, and for the handful of top public companies I've advised or spoken to (the ones usually seen in these threads as the ones 'ruling Thailand' behind the scenes) they tend to hire the best and brightest from Thailand...and overseas. And they don't care what their surname is.

The CFO of one of Thailand's largest companies Banpu Plc (Market cap circa US$5bn) started there as a telephone operator in the early 1980's. She is female and Muslim.

Nevertheless, for some public companies there is a generational change issue, many started off as family business, grew to be successful under the stewardship of the family head, and in many cases, by their children. The third generation transition is an issue, and that is yet to be fully digested by many companies.

Similarly for a range of former SOE's who are now publicly listed but still have a majority shareholding by government, the transition to proper private sector fundamentals will take two decades at least. But as Thai Airways (for instance) is finally discovering, is essential that you hire good people to run a company, lest you run it into the ground.

Still the government itself has what I'd term as a wonderful scholarship system which allows many, many Thai's to study at the worlds best universities for free, so long as they repay their time studying with 2 years working as a civil servant. I know many a young, bright and relatively disadvantaged kids come through that system, and the previous generation who similarly came from humble backgrounds who are now senior policy makers.

As I said, there is nepotism in Thailand. And there are your fair share of plonkers.

But in terms of SE Asia it is probably has the most elements of meritocracy that you'll find in both the private and public sectors. It certainly isn't Indonesia or the Philippines where there are literally handful of ruling families, nor it is it like Singapore, where unless your family name is 'Lee' you'll struggle to get to the top.

In terms of what people want Thailand to be, do they want it to be like the US for instance. I mean, for the sake of a couple of thousand democratic primary votes, we could have had succesive US presidents with the surnames of Bush, Clinton, Bush and um, Clinton.

What was that about powerful families again?

Clog to clog in three generations.

[jdinasia]

You got to see the bigger picture. A lot of it has to do with education and opportunity. There just isn't a level playing field. Yes, you can get this in other countries as well, even in the West. Just because it is there doesn't mean it's right.

I had a Thai-Chinese girlfriend once whose father owned a variey of property and businesses around Bangkok. He had a Thai Chauffer who became his friend. The Chauffer was from Isaan and my gf said that he took care of his family well while saving to open a small restaurant on the outskirts of Bangkok. My gf's father often said that the Chauffer was smarter than his two nephews, who liked fast cars and living up the playboy lifestyle. Her father had total trust in this man from Isaan. They used to have meetings about the businesses. I was at one once. The father was trying to expand and needed a manager. He wasn't happy somehow about letting either of his nephews manage. So he asked my GF. She didn't want to but would do it if needed.

I asked her afterwards why her father didn't ask the Chauffer to manage it. After all he had her fathers trust and was hard working and intelligent. Wouild it not be great for him and his family for him to have a better income and a higher postion. Her reply was "We don't want him to have a better job because he might be better and learn too much, his people need to be down"

I am not with her any more.

Hate to say it, but I find this story unlikely.

[samran]

Hate to say it, but I find this story unlikely.

yes, for me, especially the part where a Thai Visa member has a Thai Chinese girlfriend!

[Chunky1]

"Her father had total trust in this man from Isaan."

You mean he let him sit in the car with the window open while it was parked? Sweet. I see so many drivers who are forced to wander around and fight over bench space.

[Chunky1]

How many of these were/are politicians?

How many are amateur pilots or mountain climbers or high stakes poker players? When you have that much money, governing is just another intellectual endeavor/hobby. Just ask Maslow.

[jdinasia]

Hate to say it, but I find this story unlikely.

yes, for me, especially the part where a Thai Visa member has a Thai Chinese girlfriend!

LOL

is 1/8th Chinese by descent (and no knowledge of Chinese culture or language) still Th/Ch? If so I have a Th/Ch BF/partner of almost 8 years

[Heng]

Deep thread.

[aridion]

Her father was born in Thailand. Her grandfather came from China.

Well I guess some TV members aren't all into bar girls. By the way I wasn't a member back then. Not that it makes any difference.

[jdinasia]

Her father was born in Thailand. Her grandfather came from China.

Well I guess some TV members aren't all into bar girls. By the way I wasn't a member back then. Not that it makes any difference.

I am definitely not into bargirls (not even barboys!) ... but that still doesn't make your story any more believable.

[Kwasaki]

None our business we are aliens, get over it, silly thread.

[somtampet]

Whatever posh words one uses to describe the Elite,or trying to be intellectual and calm about the subject,this country is run by thugs and the police cannot do jack shit about it.The majority of us are very lucky we dont have to deal with these subhumans,so we continue to live here until the uprising,which will be very bloody

[somtampet]

How people can come on here and boast that they have chinese.thai gf,who are hi-so,is beyond me,i would be very quiet about it.

[jdinasia]

Whatever posh words one uses to describe the Elite,or trying to be intellectual and calm about the subject,this country is run by thugs and the police cannot do jack shit about it.The majority of us are very lucky we dont have to deal with these subhumans,so we continue to live here until the uprising,which will be very bloody

Hmmmmmm

If you honestly believe a significant bloody uprising is inevitable, why would you put yourself (and perhaps a family) at risk by continuing to live here? As for the "Elite", can you please define the term for me? People in the past have tried (and failed to make the argument that the "elite" would be those that in the past would have been "High Na" in the Sakdina system, whilst yet others say it is the Thai/Chinese etc etc etc .... just what do you mean by "elite"?

[jdinasia]

How people can come on here and boast that they have chinese.thai gf,who are hi-so,is beyond me,i would be very quiet about it.

Why would one be either proud or ashamed of the ethnic heritage of a partner/spouse/GF/BF?

[Chunky1]

[aridion]

I don't really care if you believe something or not. Why wouldn't you? You an all knowing, all seeing kind of bloke that knows everything already? Anyway it doesn't matter to me as I am not in Thailand right now and I don't give a rats arse. Just adding something to the thread about what I experienced. I am sure that there are experiences that others have had that would be different to mine. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and opinions are often garnished from experience.

[Thongkorn]

Apparently The Yellow shirts are backed by these powerful families. It does amaze me how the wealth in Thailand is shared by so few. A lot of the Thai- Chinese own most of the big companies and industries and are happy with the way things are. They worked hard to get where they are and are intent in maintaining their privileged positions. This goes all the way to the top. These people do not want any equal distribution of wealth or power and do not want any educated people to come through to challenge their firm grip. Think 1976. Think all the people who have been cast out for writing or saying anything challenging the Status Quo.

Sounds like Britain today. 90% of wealth is owned by 10% of people in the UK.

[samran]

Deep thread.

It is actually Heng and I who rule Thailand.

He's Thai Chinese via Texas. My Grandfather was born in Shanghai. By the conventional wisdom of TV members, as "Thai Chinese" (+/Burmese/Irish/ in my case) we are the 'elite' of Thai society, and thus your overlords.

Between him and me we have you all under our thumbs. That list those 'top' Thai's earlier are just our Minions. They do the dirty work for us.

We only gave William Heinieke Thai citizenship cause we find his beard strangely alluring.

There then, the truth is out......

[Heng]

One of my assignments in the great conspiracy was to keep TV'ers 'at bay' through misdirection. After a few years and a hundred sin sod/queue jumping/should I buy or rent threads later: it became apparent that it was happening naturally.

[Naam]

Deep thread.

It is actually Heng and I who rule Thailand.

There then, the truth is out......

you might as well confess that you and Heng are responsible for the racist double pricing, heinous 5 Baht surcharge for Farangs using baht buses, tightening of visa conditions and the exorbitant price of Chang.

[Lite Beer]

A derogatory post about The Royal Family and the reply to it have been removed.

2) Not to express disrespect of the King of Thailand or anyone else in the Thai royal family, whether living or deceased, nor to criticize the monarchy as an institution. Speculation, comments and discussion of either a political or personal nature are not allowed when discussing HM The King or the Royal family. Discussion of the lese majeste law or lese majeste cases is permitted on the forum, providing no comment or speculation is made referencing the royal family. To breach this rule will result in immediate ban.

[drronnie]

Whatever posh words one uses to describe the Elite,or trying to be intellectual and calm about the subject,this country is run by thugs and the police cannot do jack shit about it.The majority of us are very lucky we dont have to deal with these subhumans,so we continue to live here until the uprising,which will be very bloody

Unfortunately I see it coming too. The heads of the police are thugs and corrupt too. They wanted to shoot down the red shirts last May however the rank and file policemen did not bloodshed on their own people. I am not a red shirt and I depise Thaksin as he is of the same kinds as these "elite" thugs who is also manipulating the masses for his own gains.

[slapout]

Some of the powerful families in the real world seem to have a perchance for self destruction. The rest seem to, as times passes, and more family members enter the picture, go their separate ways as not so powerful families. This observation is based on history over the past 150 years. There are exceptions of course.

How many of these powerful families were powerful 150 years ago? With the additional generations added to the scene has the number of powerful individuals grown in number? To be regarded as powerful, holdings/money would seem to be a factor. Have the two measurements increased proportionally to the family member increase over time?

[Heng]

The thing is that they tend to get replaced by similar 'powerful families' that one is likely not a member of either.

[samran]

One of my assignments in the great conspiracy was to keep TV'ers 'at bay' through misdirection. After a few years and a hundred sin sod/queue jumping/should I buy or rent threads later: it became apparent that it was happening naturally.

easily led sheep that they are

5555555

[Loz]

One of my assignments in the great conspiracy was to keep TV'ers 'at bay' through misdirection. After a few years and a hundred sin sod/queue jumping/should I buy or rent threads later: it became apparent that it was happening naturally.

easily led sheep that they are

5555555

Tweedle who?

[Chalky]

I do not think that this is a conspiracy theory. One has to open the eyes and see how the people are manipulated by the few. Some people are starting to wake up and fight back like the red shirts are doing. However the red shirts are ill advised if they think that Thaksin would be a savior as he himself has a selfish agenda.

That is a hedging your bets quote there....

I'm curious: What do you thing people are 'fighting back' against?

I'm even more interested in your thesis of what 'controlling Thailand' means?

Does it mean that at each point in the day powerful families are somehow dictating how life should be lived by the majority of Thai citizens? Or something else???

Lazygourmet nails it. In Thai society a few families own the majority of the wealth. And they try to keep the common man subservient by feeding him a puppet government and lots of mass media lies.

What's the old saying "you get the govt you deserve"?

Mass Media lies - really so different here than anywhere else. Been to China or Singapore lately?

A not so brilliant person once wrote: "If you look like a sheep, and act like a sheep, don't be surprised if they pull the wool over your eyes."

ha ha, love the sheep quote. Reminds me of one we were taught as political students in the UK in '78/79; "A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves."