Thailand Rejects Foreign Election Monitors

[h5kaf]

Suthep's comments might seem a bit harsh and inappropriate (they are!), but if you ask any Thai - who isn't an ardent red shirt - how they feel about foreign election monitors, you'll probably get a similar response!

From various discussions with pretty well educated Thais about condominium investment and purchasing many said they were happy for other Thais (rich) to take advantage of them and accepted it as the way Thailand is, but were indignant about foreigners doing it as wrong and immoral.

You can only laugh...

or complain on internet forums.

This post mirrors precisely my own view. This attitude is universal from top to bottom. It is essentially the reason why Thais can do what they like whilst 'farangs' are supposed to obey the various laws and set an example. Traffic laws are an excellent example.

Thailand is the centre of the universe and Thais are the chosen ones!!!!!!!http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif

[drdoom6996]

Poor decision.

Typically Thai though.

Khun Suthep probably let his emotions carry him away -speaking before thinking- but then on the other hand it plays to the home crowd. He insinuates that the Reds need the help/support of the western world but that his government does not.

Farangs may not care for his tone but then we can't vote here either :jap:

I think there is one way we can vote. Tourists can go to Bali or where ever else in Asia. And we that live Thailand, by choice, can choose to be somewhere else. If Thai's want my money but don't want me they don't get either.

[thaikahuna]

"I don't respect 'farangs'. We do not have to surrender to them," he said, using the Thai word for "Westerners".

A gentleman and a diplomat. Excuse me while I vomit.

In the US, this guy would have been run out of office on a rail by the end of the business day.

[pisico]

"I don't respect 'farangs'. We do not have to surrender to them," he said, using the Thai word for "Westerners".

A gentleman and a diplomat. Excuse me while I vomit.

That's right! Thais only drop their pants at the sight of a Japanese soldier as it happened during WW2.

Why do you think there is a tourist trap set up in Kanchanaburi to show the world the atrocities that Japanese soldiers perpetrated?

During a tour in that place (that a friend of mine insisted in regaling me) I had to correct the tour guide who was blabbering all sort of inaccurate statements and omitting the truth. When I asked why Thais did not fight for their country even after they were ordered not to do so by the dictator in charge of the country at the time, his answer was a vapid smile. Maybe, to be fair, he did not know or was never told the truth. Maybe the history books he studied to become a guide never addressed that shameful chapter of Thailand's history of the 20th. century. Fast forward and meet Suthep valiantly proclaiming Thailand's sovereignty to the world. Anybody who accounts for nearly 10% of a country;s GDP should be addressed respectfully. What makes his statement disturbing is that it comes from an official at the summit of the pyramid of power using the word Farang in connection with the topic he was reacting to.

[StasD]

I do not worry if Sutep does not respect me. I do worry if Thai women will not respect me.

[DP25]

"I don't respect 'farangs'.

Unfortunate and coarse comment. Hope it's bad translation.

No need to translate farang! It's a Thai word.

The possibly insulting part was 'respect' which we have no idea what the actual word used was.

[DoctorG]

Just in case anybody didn't actually realize what they really think of us.

I do not care what Thais do with their elections. Doesn't affect me at all. If it did someday cause me problems then I, and my money, will move. Simple really.

[dabbers]

The sign hanging up on the wall of Deputy PM Suthep's office ;-)

[NCFC]

If he doesn't respect farang then what does he think of his boss?

[EyesWideOpen]

Typical Thai arrogance....Always amazing to me how the ruling class ( Thai / Chinese) can say and do almost anything and get away with it. They take the concept of being Teflon to a whole new level. Take any western politician who said publicly he did not like or respect Blacks or Asians, and he would be run out of office the following week. But here it actually seems to play well to the home crowd.

All elections are bought here. It is the greatest unspoken joke in Thailand. Always funny to me to see all the bar girls head back to Isan to get their 500 baht for voting. It appears to me that the red shirts, with Takki funding them, would have the best chance of winning. However since both sides are buying votes, I suppose they do not want any form of oversight, so they will get true value for their vote buying money.

As far as being a somewhat unwelcome guest here, that is a bit odd in light of what happened in 1997. Guess memories here are a bit short......All the farang money left Thailand then, and it was crash and burn time for them.

I have traveled the world, and where ever I go I still can have an opinion of events around me. I can effect no change, so it becomes in essence a form of intellectual exercise to observe and comment. So if I was in a country where the custom was to chop off the right hand of every baby, that is still wrong, no matter what the color of my passport is. And I would certainly speak up about that issue.

As somebody else here commented, it is truly a shame that such a wonderful country filled with friendly people, has such crap leadership...... :-(

[robsamui]

Reading some of my young Thai niece's schoolbooks it's no wonder they end up which such a twisted xenophobic view of reality. Taught (indoctrinated) from a very young age how special the Thai people are compared to everyone else.

Such a pity that such a beautiful country has such a high % of simpleminded fools populating it.

[NCFC]

I think he is right: Farang cannot be trusted!!!

Farang can NOT be trusted to ensure the Thai way of vote buying goes on!

Farang can NOT be trusted to take bribes at polling booths.

Farang can NOT be trusted to keep quiet about certain things.

Farang can NOT be trusted to abstain from reporting things in the media.

He makes a very good and accurate statement which is 100% spot on!!

Now this I can agree on. Kind of sounds like a lady that became president of the Philippines. TIT

Where is Thailand's Imelda these days?

[Just1Voice]

There is a very old Thai prophecy that states that this year there will be a cataclysmic event in which the ocean will rise up and swallow most of southern Thailand and that it will reach north of Ayutthaya. Now, while no one would really want to see something of that magnitude happen, on the somewhat perverse side of things, think of all the corruption that would be "washed away" if that were to happen. I wonder how long Suthep could tread water, and if he would refuse rescue from a "farang"?

[hardy1943]

monitors don't have to be "the westerners", they might be from asean or from any other country in the world.

as suthep does not respect westerners, than equally the westerners should not respect this corrupt and ignorant military put government.

decline all proposal for observers - the right step to stay put in an authoritarian form of government thailand always was.

anyway, general elections are sham and show for the poor, if there is no an alternative political force to the present socio-economic system

Get Singapore here to monitor and while they are here lets impose their law. Just think all the corrupt official red or yellow would high tail it out of BKK and there be no one left.

Edited March 25, 2011 by hardy1943

[Thaddeus]

Amazing. I guess it would take specific names being called out on national television one by one for the apologists to finally understand that Thais HATE falangs and dont want you here period. "Yes YOU David Jones, we dont respect and HATE you!" "AND YOU Peter Smith, we also hate and have no respect for YOU! Leave all your money and belongings with the nearest Thai and get the fuc_k out!"

Couldnt be any clearer than it already is with the deputy pm saying it across the nation for all Thais to nod and agree with.

I don't think that is strictly true of all Thais.

Unfortunately the main bastion of that attitude is with most of them that hold the reins of power. And I also think that it has gone beyond hate now and changed into fear.

Fifty years ago this moronic imbecile could have made that statement and the nation as a whole would have nodded approval, now with the dissemination of information with regards to how other countries operate becoming more widely available. International media, internet etc. The pigs at the trough are terrified of the day when some ordinary Thai says "Hang on, why don't we do it like them, because we don't trust you" and this little piggy showed his true colours in a knee jerk reaction.

That day cannot come soon enough for me.

[Naam]

All elections are bought here. It is the greatest unspoken joke in Thailand. Always funny to me to see all the bar girls head back to Isan to get their 500 baht for voting. It appears to me that the red shirts, with Takki funding them, would have the best chance of winning. However since both sides are buying votes...

...we are looking at true democracy.

[maxman71]

If his comment is in the context of election observers only, I can buy that. But if he is spiteful of farangs in general, then maybe it's time those farang like myself who run a profitable Thai co., report income honestly, pay taxes, hire Thai locals, stay out of trouble, etc., then maybe it's time I and others of similar stature relocate somewhere else, like Hong Kong. I don't need this nonsense from a gov't official. I can base my business just about anywhere in Asia. How many Thai bargirls pay taxes in Thailand???...Answer: ZIP.

[ginjag]

Typical Thai arrogance....Always amazing to me how the ruling class ( Thai / Chinese) can say and do almost anything and get away with it. They take the concept of being Teflon to a whole new level. Take any western politician who said publicly he did not like or respect Blacks or Asians, and he would be run out of office the following week. But here it actually seems to play well to the home crowd.

All elections are bought here. It is the greatest unspoken joke in Thailand. Always funny to me to see all the bar girls head back to Isan to get their 500 baht for voting. It appears to me that the red shirts, with Takki funding them, would have the best chance of winning. However since both sides are buying votes, I suppose they do not want any form of oversight, so they will get true value for their vote buying money.

As far as being a somewhat unwelcome guest here, that is a bit odd in light of what happened in 1997. Guess memories here are a bit short......All the farang money left Thailand then, and it was crash and burn time for them.

I have traveled the world, and where ever I go I still can have an opinion of events around me. I can effect no change, so it becomes in essence a form of intellectual exercise to observe and comment. So if I was in a country where the custom was to chop off the right hand of every baby, that is still wrong, no matter what the color of my passport is. And I would certainly speak up about that issue.

As somebody else here commented, it is truly a shame that such a wonderful country filled with friendly people, has such crap leadership...... :-(

HALF filled of friendly people, ( 30 years ago 75% of friendly people ) agree with rest of what you said though. The other 50% of the folks here now I don't have a problem with, but it's up to us to suss and choose.

[Naam]

"I don't respect 'farangs'. We do not have to surrender to them," he said, using the Thai word for "Westerners".

A gentleman and a diplomat. Excuse me while I vomit.

In the US, this guy would have been run out of office on a rail by the end of the business day.

a foreigner arriving in the U.S. is since years treated like sh*t and asked questions such as "who are you, why are you and what are you and what is the purpose of your visit?" nowadays silly questions have to be answered before the foreigner can book a flight. when i arrive in Thailand i'm not asked anything but quite often i heard "welcome to Thailand'.

[maxman71]

Reading some of my young Thai niece's schoolbooks it's no wonder they end up which such a twisted xenophobic view of reality. Taught (indoctrinated) from a very young age how special the Thai people are compared to everyone else.

Such a pity that such a beautiful country has such a high % of simpleminded fools populating it.

My daughter was thinking of doing some volunteer teaching (she is a degreed teacher in a specialized program in the US) in Phuket some years ago. So I visited the Headmaster at a middle school to line things up. While waiting in the school library to meet with him, I picked up a Thai history book in English and began to scan through it. There was a chapter about WWII and how the US "abandoned" Thailand and left them helpless in the face of Japanese occupation; the net was it was the US' fault for Thailand having to acquiesce to the Japanese. Yeah, right. How do you explain that it made no sense whatsoever to go after the Japanese military in far-flung Thailand, with all the requisite long supply lines highly vulnerable to Japanese disruptions??? Anyone with a lick of common sense would realize that the battle with Japan needed to be fought in the regions closest to Japan so to be able to go after the Japanese islands directly; cut the head off the snake so to speak. Some real nonsense going on with some Thai attitudes. Maybe it's time to pull out of here after 6 years. What a crock.

[TechnikaIII]

"I don't respect 'farangs'. We

do not have to surrender to them"

the Great Suthet speaks! Abisit would be so much better off without this loose canon ball - what a diplomat! maybe a candidate for the UN Chair?

PS he forget's his boss is an British Passport Holder and his education was in the place 'he doesn't respect'

1. Don't forget that there are millions who obtain British passports under false pretences, infesting the country like ticks on a dog, with similar intent. And there are those who do so simply with an agenda of destruction.

2. "I don't respect farangs" .. reminds me of my (ex)-wife to be, when I refused to accept, without question, her utterly fanciful money demands for the "privilege" of marrying her. She, a country woman with zero knowledge of the West, shouting that is a privilege for a farang to be able to marry in Thailand etc etc .. but in the same volcanic rage, she actually vented: "I don't like farangs" This was spat at me in the most disrespectful manner. Suprise surprise. It of course echoes her father's views, which are in common with his local government colleagues, and speaks too for great many others.

It is not the buffalo Suthet you need worry about. We see him for what he is. It is the buffalo in sheep's clothing you should be wary of.

[Steely Dan]

If it hasn't been mentioned before does this no outside observers stance apply if they actually manage to build a nuclear power station?

[ianbroad]

Didnt you know that Thai people are superior to us?

[malcyx]

GOOD to see a thai with a set af balls..

The majority of westeners who visit have no respect for the thais or themselves.

The western way is pthetic, coming from the uk im ashamed of my country and the way

we and our allies rape, pillage and bribe poorer countries to get their oil,minerals,gems and gold..

About time someone stuck their finger up at us...

RESPECT to him...

[Steely Dan]

Deleted double post

Edited March 25, 2011 by Steely Dan

[napapek]

Thailands Government has been corrupt since day one, but when an official like sutep says he doesnt respect farangs it puts him in a very awkward position. He doesnt realize or maybe hes not worried about the thai people that make their living from just farangs. If farangs stayed away from Thailand he would be homeless.<br>

[WebGuy]

Farangs relax,

This is called a political gaffe

I am sure that he regrets his words.

He may have realized a moment later what he had sad but it was too late for excuse because he would have lost his face.

Loosing face in Thailand I am sure everyone knows about that :jap:

[sangfroid]

"I don't respect 'farangs'. We

do not have to surrender to them"

the Great Suthet speaks! Abisit would be so much better off without this loose canon ball - what a diplomat! maybe a candidate for the UN Chair?

PS he forget's his boss is an British Passport Holder and his education was in the place 'he doesn't respect'

I believe He would Fit Right in with the Rest of the "Elite" in the UN, Including Our Ex NZ PM Helen Clarke!!! Or Possibly He was only referring to UN and NGO Personal when He made the Statement as that Would also fit with most everyone Else's Opinion of them!!!

Exactly Ian Bungy . Now take our Oz foreign minister Kevin Dudd....PLEASE

[rubl]

There is a very old Thai prophecy that states that this year there will be a cataclysmic event in which the ocean will rise up and swallow most of southern Thailand and that it will reach north of Ayutthaya. Now, while no one would really want to see something of that magnitude happen, on the somewhat perverse side of things, think of all the corruption that would be "washed away" if that were to happen. I wonder how long Suthep could tread water, and if he would refuse rescue from a "farang"?

Obviously we cannot allow such a cataclysmic event to happen. 'corruption washed away', imagine the water pollution it would cause

[SGD]

If ever people needed a case to prove to the apologists that the word "farang" is derogatory then this is it. He could have used "westerners" to identify non Asians or simply "foreigners" to indicate non Thais but he went full on with the jingoism of "farangs".

What he really wants is corruption and no pesky (and honest) westerners interfering.