Thailand Rejects Foreign Election Monitors

[wintermute]

I agree with the deputy PM's assessment as well. Western NGOs and their members are often as crooked as they come and fronts for intelligence agencies.

This isn't about western NGOs. Why would you think that western NGOs would be involved? ASEAN has an election monitoring capability. The last ASEAN country to refuse monitors was Myanmar/Burma. Thailan by the way would have provided monitors had Myanmar/Burma agreed. The principal election monitoring groups involve the electoral commissions of other countries. Their conduct and integrity when acting as election monitors has never been questioned.

ASEAN members don't trust each other enough to do this. Have you read that wikileaks cable with the Singaporean official? It's obvious they look at each other as rivals most of the time and grudging partners for just trade negotiations. The upper tier ASEAN leader (Singapore) views everyone else as incompetent. I'm sure Thais have even more childish views. That's all ASEAN is really.. a trade bloc. When it comes down to local politics the natives prefer to keep their dirty laundry behind closed doors because there's a lot of profit and power motives involved.

Edited March 27, 2011 by wintermute

[ChiangMaiFun]

Excuse me for coming very late into this discussion.

I am not about to plough through 17 pages to see if my point has already been made, so I will just make it and retreat to the hills…

Suthep Thaugsuban almost single handily brought down the Democrat-led government of the mid 90's by a corrupt act.

Suthep was Agricultutre Minister and gave title deeds to 592 plots of land in Phuket province to 489 farmers. It was later found that members of 11 wealthy families in Phuket were among the recipients. The scandal led Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai of the Democrat Party to dissolve the House of Representatives in July 1995 in order to avoid the no-confidence debate.

Then, more recently, in 2009, Suthep was accused of violating the Constitution by holding equity in a media firm that had received concessions from the government. Under the 1997 Constitution of Thailand, which Suthep had supported, Members of Parliament are banned from holding stakes in companies which have received government concessions. In July 2009, the Election Commission announced that it would seek a ruling by the Constitutional Court to disqualify Suthep from having allegedly violated the charter. Suthep then resigned from Parliament. If his case had been submitted to the Constitution Court, he would have been suspended from duty as Deputy Prime Minister.

The mind boggles as to why a person with such an unsavoury background would be appointed and retained as Deputy PM by the so-called 'Mr Clean', PM Abhisit.

The assumption is that Suthep still wields enormous influence and power.

The above is a mere snippet of how these politicians, (of all parties), operate and how so many of them are known to be corrupt and have disreputable past histories that would disqualify them from public office in any properly functioning democracy.

It is hardly surprising that a corrupt, self-seeking creep like Suthep would make such 'throw away' remarks as 'I don't respect farangs'…. Of course he doesn't respect farangs – the only things he respects are money, power and corruption. Much the same as his erstwhile foe, the estimable Mr. Thaksin.

excellent post!

Abhisit will never,ever win over people up here whilst he retains Suthep - he is widely hated

[wintermute]

excellent post!

Abhisit will never,ever win over people up here whilst he retains Suthep - he is widely hated

What do they have against Englishmen?

[animatic]

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.

Agreed, it's part of the

Nation Building through Cultural Assimilation in the School System that was installed on the birth of Thailand many decades ago. And is a core factor in the general mind set of Thais every since.

If you are crossroads country with several states/cultures around you, that have generally interbred at and around the new borders with all the neighboring cultures. How can you create ' One National Identity' from all these interlocking cultures?

By making those that assimilate looked on as 'better people' than all their neighbors, cousins by blood or not, and beat this concept into their heads for decades in the school system.

And even those cultures living within your boarders who 'don't assimilate in your chosen way', like hill tribes, are also deemed below those that have.

You create a single culture as a 'nation' certainly, but you also create a super-xenophobic culture that shoots itself in the foot regularly and can't dial back the nationalism and cultural racism, because it's 'unpatriotic to even try.

Suthep is a product of an age before instant communications and east travel over great distances, so he is set in his old school ways, the young, under 30's coming up will not have as much of the same cultural baggage to live down, since they have klived in and around more of the worlds cultures in their formative years..

Edited March 27, 2011 by animatic

[cardholder]

Excuse me for coming very late into this discussion.

I am not about to plough through 17 pages to see if my point has already been made, so I will just make it and retreat to the hills…

Suthep Thaugsuban almost single handily brought down the Democrat-led government of the mid 90's by a corrupt act.

Suthep was Agricultutre Minister and gave title deeds to 592 plots of land in Phuket province to 489 farmers. It was later found that members of 11 wealthy families in Phuket were among the recipients. The scandal led Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai of the Democrat Party to dissolve the House of Representatives in July 1995 in order to avoid the no-confidence debate.

Then, more recently, in 2009, Suthep was accused of violating the Constitution by holding equity in a media firm that had received concessions from the government. Under the 1997 Constitution of Thailand, which Suthep had supported, Members of Parliament are banned from holding stakes in companies which have received government concessions. In July 2009, the Election Commission announced that it would seek a ruling by the Constitutional Court to disqualify Suthep from having allegedly violated the charter. Suthep then resigned from Parliament. If his case had been submitted to the Constitution Court, he would have been suspended from duty as Deputy Prime Minister.

The mind boggles as to why a person with such an unsavoury background would be appointed and retained as Deputy PM by the so-called 'Mr Clean', PM Abhisit.

The assumption is that Suthep still wields enormous influence and power.

The above is a mere snippet of how these politicians, (of all parties), operate and how so many of them are known to be corrupt and have disreputable past histories that would disqualify them from public office in any properly functioning democracy.

It is hardly surprising that a corrupt, self-seeking creep like Suthep would make such 'throw away' remarks as 'I don't respect farangs'…. Of course he doesn't respect farangs – the only things he respects are money, power and corruption. Much the same as his erstwhile foe, the estimable Mr. Thaksin.

excellent post!

Abhisit will never,ever win over people up here whilst he retains Suthep - he is widely hated

+ 1

Additionally, I don't see how Thailand can achieve international acceptance until it is perceived to be 'clean' in it's political processes. The world knows it is corrupt and until independent monitoring (Asean will do) is allowed Thailand will not even have taken the first step towards democracy.

If Suthep (Thailand) does not want that then it has no credibility and can remain - perhaps where it wants to stay - as a corrupt third world country.

[animatic]

excellent post!

Abhisit will never,ever win over people up here whilst he retains Suthep - he is widely hated

What do they have against Englishmen?

Basically the game is play one boggie man of the other to appease or scare an opposing demographic.

As Suthep is hated, so are some on the opposing side, that equally fill the jobs of power brokers and negotiators.

I don't admire Suthep, but I more or less understand why he is there. The game is hardball, and he plays it well. If he didn't he would be long gone. Plus he serves the bad cop to Abhisits good cop. Someone who doesn't care if he is hated, he just gets on with it behind the scenes most of the time.

Edited March 27, 2011 by animatic

[Buchholz]

]

Quite the dishonest apologist that attempts to hide the reality of a Drug War gaff :

"UN is not my father" -- in a reply to a reporter when asked to comment on the Human Rights Office of the UN going to send officers to observe the implementation of the Thai Anti-drug scheme. [March 2003]

Thaksin Shinawatra wikiquotes

Again, more false allegations about Mr. Thaksin,

- flame snipped -

In this case, you have twisted the event out of context.

It's strange that the media is awash of accounts of his reactions to the Drug War and the call for international intervention from the UN regarding it that back up the quote, eg.

"The UN is not my father"

The statement of the year for 2003 was made by PM Thaksin Shinawatra who shocked people all around the country by using this statement to answer reporters who asked about the Human Rights Office of the UN. The office was going to send officers to observe the implementation of the Thai Anti-drug scheme. This happened because Dr. Pradit Jaroenthaitawee, National Human Rights Committee, took the human rights violation problem caused by the war on drug to discuss at a UN conference.

Source: Thaksin said this when he was upset with reporters who thronged to interview him about the killing the 'mass of drug dealers.' (in Thai the special phrase for this is ka tad ton meaning to kill someone before they reveal your secrets or to silence them. Mostly, it happens to gunmen or drug agents to prevent them from telling policemen from whom they get their orders from). This was a hot issue in March 2003.

http://2bangkok.com/2bangkok/thaimediaproject/thaksindict.shtml

Stranger still that his remarks at the time would somehow attempt to get propagandized into a different side, but, then again, perhaps it's just another case of getting the wrong side like your comments in the Porsche thread.

.

Edited March 27, 2011 by Buchholz

[animatic]

]

Quite the dishonest apologist that attempts to hide the reality of a Drug War gaff :

"UN is not my father" -- in a reply to a reporter when asked to comment on the Human Rights Office of the UN going to send officers to observe the implementation of the Thai Anti-drug scheme. [March 2003]

Thaksin Shinawatra wikiquotes

Again, more false allegations about Mr. Thaksin, We all know that you have an obsession with the deposed elected PM Thaksin. In this case, you have twisted the event out of context.

It's strange that the media is awash of accounts of his reactions to the Drug War and the call for international intervention from the UN regarding that back up the quote, eg.

"The UN is not my father"

The statement of the year for 2003 was made by PM Thaksin Shinawatra who shocked people all around the country by using this statement to answer reporters who asked about the Human Rights Office of the UN. The office was going to send officers to observe the implementation of the Thai Anti-drug scheme. This happened because Dr. Pradit Jaroenthaitawee, National Human Rights Committee, took the human rights violation problem caused by the war on drug to discuss at a UN conference.

Source: Thaksin said this when he was upset with reporters who thronged to interview him about the killing the 'mass of drug dealers.' (in Thai the special phrase for this is ka tad ton meaning to kill someone before they reveal your secrets or to silence them. Mostly, it happens to gunmen or drug agents to prevent them from telling policemen from whom they get their orders from). This was a hot issue in March 2003.

http://2bangkok.com/...aksindict.shtml

Stranger still that his remarks at the time would somehow attempt to get propagandized into a different side, but, then again, perhaps it's just another case of getting the wrong side like your comments in the Porsche thread.

.

It appears some topics this sunday are being brushed through too quickly, and then commented in an emotional stance, not one based on facts as stated in the actual comments. More than one culprit I might add.

Edited March 27, 2011 by animatic

[Pi Sek]

I must say that I am apalled at the comments posted on this forun and about this topic. As a long term resident of Thailand and a foreigner I would not deem it appropriate for me to comment on matters that concern politics or indeed the independance of a soverign nation.

I feel I am lucky to be able to live here (on the permission of the Thai Government) and it would not be suitable of me to comment on internal Thai matters as it would not be appropriate of me to comment on the internal matters of ANY other soverign nation except the nation of my citizenship.

I cannot beleive the comments that are made here by foreigners (that is non-Thai citizens) ctiticizing Thai people and institutions, my advice is that if you don't like it here leave as you have no right to try and change Thai society.

And the whingers that complain about property ownership laws in Thailand, buy property elsewhere. This is Thailand and it doesn't matter that a Thai can buy property in another country but you cannot buy here.

Get a life.

I appreciate your point about the need for respect and courtesy, however, your premise is wrong. The subject of whether or not some foreigners have a "right" to speak up has been dealt with in other threads. I believe the underlying position of some foreigners as to why they speak out is that they have invested in the country, pay taxes and have families. The fact that foreigners are discriminated against in terms of being allowed citizenship is a subject for a different thread, but I believe that longtime residents that have a stake in Thailand's stability and prosperity most certainly do have a right to express their views.

I absolutely concur.

The presence of such monitors would bolster confidence in the electoral process. It would also respond to the very real concerns expressed in respect to electoral corruption and the interference with the right to privacy when voting. There is also a strong likelihood of violence erupting again should the integrity of the electoral process be questioned. The presence of monitors, if the election was fair, would act to prevent that from happening. The fact of the matter is that Thailand has serious deficiencies when it comes to holding a fair and honest election. One might as well deal with that and not try and excuse it or deny it.

The problem is the perceived reasoning for external monitors. Is it:

1) To ensure free and fair elections

2) To interfere with the behind-the-scenes political (and business) brokering

3) To interfere in the outcome of the elections/impose globalisation and relieve the country of their sovereignty and independence

The answer of course depends on two things:

1) Whom you ask

2) Who exactly the monitors are

When a senior member of the government comes right out and expresses a desire to prevent scrutiny that is a strong indicator that the person does not have confidence in the electoral process and is basically afraid. Having monitors is not a "foreign" imposition and is part of a healthy and confident electoral process. Many countries have and allow such monitors. The only countries that block the presence of outside monitors are those associated with totalitarian states.

As mentioned above, it shows lack of condidence in the electoral process (i.e. Suthep doesn't want westerners coming in and stopping him from power brokering to earn his daily bread) or it shows that he doesn't trust the ability of the options on the table to ensure free & fair elections or it shows that he doesn't trust the neutrality of the options on the table.

[Just1Voice]

S - Stupidly ignorant

U - Utterly racist

T - Thai

H - Holding an

E - Extraordinary

P - Political position

[dananderson]

I liked this response from a Thai on this topic. "Why not say..Japanese observers? We have surrenderd to them before"

[scotbeve]

I would be happy if you could post in a normal readable font, its hardwork deciphering most of the stuff posted here as it is.

My pet hate just lately?, - being called a farang, by another farang (post eg 476).

I'll second that, friend!

[brd]

of course foreigners have nothing to do monitoring Thai election, why should they and in which language ?

As much irritating than security check pre boarding a flight to Singapore and upon arrival an other security check from Singaporeans like if the

Thai security was not reliable.....

Come on.....Give us a break THAILAND IS MORE THAN AN EMERGING COUNTRY !

[WhingeingMoaners]

Can someone tell me what is the difference between what he said about farangs and what farangs often snipe at the locals about on this forum? I was not aware that it was blasphemous to say that you have no respect for some people. If you people are too upset and hurt, I recommend requesting the UN to make it unlawful to say such a thing regarding farangs. I did not realise that it was compulsory for Thai people to have respect for farangs even though most of these foreigners have not earned it.:jap:

Having observed what farangs have been bitching about in relation to the locals for the past few years on Thai Visa, to be honest, I am very surprised that many Thais have not yet come out and spoken publicly like Mr. Suthep did. I hope they will in the near future though. In the end, it simply takes two to tango.

[scotbeve]

Can someone tell me what is the difference between what he said about farangs and what farangs often snipe at the locals about on this forum? I was not aware that it was blasphemous to say that you have no respect for some people. If you people are too upset and hurt, I recommend requesting the UN to make it unlawful to say such a thing regarding farangs. I did not realise that it was compulsory for Thai people to have respect for farangs even though most of these foreigners have not earned it.:jap:

Having observed what farangs have been bitching about in relation to the locals for the past few years on Thai Visa, to be honest, I am very surprised that many Thais have not yet come out and spoken publicly like Mr. Suthep did. I hope they will in the near future though. In the end, it simply takes two to tango.

Ummmmm.... don't you think that the DPM could have a bit more diplomacy than that? Kinda akin to last weeks faux pas of the House Speaker saying out right that it's a bad idea to have each and every PM Saw-Saw, etc. in the govt. NOT to donate 3,000 baht from this month's salary for the Japan tsunami relief funds. Reason: gettin' near election time - sad is not the correct word to describe this she - ite! Diplomacy??? NOT!!!!! Sure, us serfs can whinge and moan all we want. None of em' ill' listen anyway mate! Full stop.... 30 yrs. of observations have shown me this.

Edited March 27, 2011 by Jai Dee
Title corrected

[michaeljordan]

Why on earth would anyone want to monitor our Thai elections?

It is not as if we ever have coups or rig elections here is it?

Thailand is to free and fair elections and democracy as is cow dung to high quiescence food.

Is it 14 coups or is it more?

No matter because the elected Parliament and PM does not run the nation anyway.

If a coup is an over throw of the people in control of a government, then Thailand has not had a coup for a long long time now.

of course if this is true, and it is, then Thailand is not really a democracy, and it is not.

The heat is on all over the world these days for non-democratic regimes.

Funny that North African and Arab nation could become democracies before Siam.

One last comment--how many posters here are Thai government workers posting Propaganda?

Just curious.

DO Not CARE what you do in Siam really though.

The place is laughable. Lots of nice people but would never raise my children there.

[ChiangMaiFun]

Why on earth would anyone want to monitor our Thai elections?

It is not as if we ever have coups or rig elections here is it?

Thailand is to free and fair elections and democracy as is cow dung to high quiescence food.

Is it 14 coups or is it more?

No matter because the elected Parliament and PM does not run the nation anyway.

If a coup is an over throw of the people in control of a government, then Thailand has not had a coup for a long long time now.

of course if this is true, and it is, then Thailand is not really a democracy, and it is not.

The heat is on all over the world these days for non-democratic regimes.

Funny that North African and Arab nation could become democracies before Siam.

One last comment--how many posters here are Thai government workers posting Propaganda?

Just curious.

DO Not CARE what you do in Siam really though.

The place is laughable. Lots of nice people but would never raise my children there.

no oil here...

[Macmundi]

I know abit of Thai and I don't think this man didn't really mean he 'disrespects' farangs. In fact the use of the word 'farang' is imformal. He should be very careful with his choice of words if he is a public servant who is very much exposed to media. If he chose to say he disregards foreign intervention into Thai polls, that might be more acceptable.

you don't know Suthept! of course he meant it

Oh gawd..!! he really meant it??! The Fascist ! Why respect him if he disrespects others ..!

[kimamey]

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.

Geez my Thai wife owns three properties in Melbourne Australia and that includes the land.

Wow that is amazing. My dog is half Chinese.

If this is a direct quote, it was poorly structured. I doubt he actually meant 'I do not respect Westerners'. Read in context, I understand what he (hopefully) means, and I would expect most people on here would feel the same way if it was their country.

For example, if it was David Cameron that said 'I do not respect the use of Asian election monitoring organizations as I believe that it would imply that we are unable to democratically monitor our own country's election'. Then I am pretty sure most people would understand.

I thought there was a lot of vote buying in Thailand so maybe they need monitors from outside. It doesn't have to be just western but from countries where the elections are generally fair and honest. In the UK at least whilst there have been some problems these have been dealt with by the courts. If there is any suggestion of wrongdoing the loser will always complain and will normally trust the courts decision.

I wouldn't mind if there were monitors from foreign countries at UK elections and in fact there were monitors from Commonwealth countries at the 2010 polls.

[kimamey]

Well you cant blame thai people for not liking farangs. Alot of creepy old horny men coming to thailand for sex.

Look my girlfriend asked me to come and she wanted sex as much ......... well more actually than I did or could manage. Also less of the "old" if you don't mind.

[timewilltell]

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.

Not really. Comments like yours are considered "Thai Bashing..."

Khun Suthep just publicly stated what most Thais already think. And why not, tourists continue to poor in so keep the insults and scams comming. You couldn't make this stuff up

I can't see how Appropriate's comments are 'Thai Bashing' - he is just commenting on how Thai's generally think - that no-one should make any profit from this place except the Thais. That is their narrow minded view on the world gained from the mass brainwashing that is the Thai education and political system - not that it is really so much different from the brainwashing that goes on in the West except that the education system teaches some form of rational and individual thinking to the masses whereas here the masses are blissfully ignorant.

If Thai's were taught a more balanced view of the world and opened their eyes a little, embracing some of the good aspects of other cultures to better their own, then how much better a place would this be for the ordinary Thais and more welcoming as a result to the average non-thai resident. It is strange they accept ceding their wealth to the rich Chinese yet are so xenophobic against their easy spending 'farang' guests.

As for Suthep's comments, he is clearly a buffoon, much the same as many a politician the world over except less polished and more tarnished. Maybe the translation is not quite right but it stretches the imagination past breaking point to think he said anything that would not be construed as offensive to Westerners, which may be politically expedient within Xenophobic Thailand, but rather less politically astute to anyone else. If he wants to wave the Nationalist flag then could he not do so a little more astutely?

As for foreign monitors, I don;t really see how they could be anything but a benefit. They would not catch most of what goes on without doubt but at least it would give an air of a democratically conducted election. No-one wants Thailand to clone the western values and social sysem, but bettering its own social system has got to be on the agenda and embracing some of the tried and tested Western ways that could assimilate with Thailand's cultural and social & political system allowing it to segue into a more balanced and better society that every Thai would benefit from.

[kinmaew]

They are respectful of farang aid money though. Or maybe not, I dont think they deserve a cent.

[MZurf]

....any reasonable person could pick apart any western country's economy and cutlure and quirky habits of the indigenous locals.

Care to elaborate?

[ableguy]

I myself have never met any Thai national that respects farangs so this statement does not shock me, my view is we are simply walking ATMs to them and without fail their aim is to relieve us of as much cash as they can, to all you soothesayers no I will not go home I like it here, I simply baccept the way things are.

[vont]

I myself have never met any Thai national that respects farangs so this statement does not shock me, my view is we are simply walking ATMs to them and without fail their aim is to relieve us of as much cash as they can, to all you soothesayers no I will not go home I like it here, I simply baccept the way things are.

Apparently, you have not been around Thailand too much, too far, nor too often enough

to run into locals who are fair and square in their dealings with farang.

I ran into multitude of them living around natural rural surroundings in PhutTaLoong, Trung and SongKhla provinces, to mention a just a few.

Been to any of these village township and linger for a while to also enjoy their hospitalities, pherhap?

You really ought to try it once in your life. You might begin to like it enough that you might not want to leave. LOL :jap:

Edited March 28, 2011 by vont

[scotbeve]

I myself have never met any Thai national that respects farangs so this statement does not shock me, my view is we are simply walking ATMs to them and without fail their aim is to relieve us of as much cash as they can, to all you soothesayers no I will not go home I like it here, I simply baccept the way things are.

Apparently, you have not been around Thailand too much, too far, nor too often enough

to run into locals who are fair and square in their dealings with farang.

I ran into multitude of them living around natural rural surroundings in PhutTaLoong, Trung and SongKhla provinces, to mention a just a few.

Been to any of these village township and linger for a while to also enjoy their hospitalities, pherhap?

You really ought to try it once in your life. You might begin to like it enough that you might not want to leave. LOL :jap:

Agreed.... get away from ANY tourist trap ANYWHERE in this country or other countries (ready for general, glib, cliche?) it's a breath of fresh air...

[HereIAm]

The man's a fool.

But perhaps an apt representative of his people?

That one Suthep statement (of obviously dubious translation) has set off a furious 20plus pages of bickering is a revelation of the mindset and expectations that bedevil the huge farang mass in Thailand. Why don't the westerners just pack up and leave if they don't find the so-called respect they like to be shown ? On the other hand, if they are stuck here for work or pleasure and find it difficult or impossible to go away, the simpler option is to shut up and put up. That's what Asian immigrants go through in the west. Might do some good to take a leaf from their books. One poster calls Suthep a fool and another thinks he made a smart retort by commenting that was an apt representation of his people ??!! So what were you trying to say ? All Thais are fools, huh ? Thank the web for the anonymity it gives you.

[surayu]

...

Here it is so why don't you start and show us a bit of coherence, shut up and put up, as you say ...

[Jingthing]

The man's a fool.

But perhaps an apt representative of his people?

That one Suthep statement (of obviously dubious translation) has set off a furious 20plus pages of bickering is a revelation of the mindset and expectations that bedevil the huge farang mass in Thailand. Why don't the westerners just pack up and leave if they don't find the so-called respect they like to be shown ? On the other hand, if they are stuck here for work or pleasure and find it difficult or impossible to go away, the simpler option is to shut up and put up. That's what Asian immigrants go through in the west. Might do some good to take a leaf from their books. One poster calls Suthep a fool and another thinks he made a smart retort by commenting that was an apt representation of his people ??!! So what were you trying to say ? All Thais are fools, huh ? Thank the web for the anonymity it gives you.

Just so you know, I think everyone's a fool including (perhaps especially) me so please don't get your panties in a twist.

[Nisa]

That one Suthep statement (of obviously dubious translation) has set off a furious 20plus pages of bickering is a revelation of the mindset and expectations that bedevil the huge farang mass in Thailand. Why don't the westerners just pack up and leave if they don't find the so-called respect they like to be shown ? On the other hand, if they are stuck here for work or pleasure and find it difficult or impossible to go away, the simpler option is to shut up and put up. That's what Asian immigrants go through in the west. Might do some good to take a leaf from their books. One poster calls Suthep a fool and another thinks he made a smart retort by commenting that was an apt representation of his people ??!! So what were you trying to say ? All Thais are fools, huh ? Thank the web for the anonymity it gives you.

I say take a lesson from the Thais and not worry and complain so much. Learn to relax and be content regardless of issues outside your control. Especially when the issue is something like this were we know there is a translation issue as well as a different culture involved.

Edited March 28, 2011 by Nisa