U-Tapao Airbase: Govt 'Needs To Study Nasa Plan'

[pattayaronbo]

Yes, please do not forget why Pattaya is even in existence today, not to mention all the airports and roads that the US built for Thailand not to mention all the aid they have given to Thailand??. Do you really think China is going to help Thailand like the US has in the past??? They will only explout Thailand like they have done with all the countries they deal with in Africa. Plus, do you really think if the US wanted to spy on Thailand or the surrounding countries they would even ask permission to use the base. They are probably already doing this and nobody can do anything about it !! Get real, this is a simple science project of NASA, nothing more. It is not about predicting the weather as some A-holes say, it is about studying the weather patterns of the ares. It is well known that nobody can predict the weather but it does not hurt to stucdy the ciimate patterns, etc This is one thing NASA does and does well. If you look at the Thai weather, it is a joke compared to any developled country. It would be a shame to see Thailand turn it's back on the US over something like this but not really that surprising.

[pattayaronbo]

All mongers should at least thank the US for providing a place like Pattaya. Ok it has it's bad and good points but this is where it began for many of us and continues today for many of us...

[Rancid]

Seems most of the movers and shakers in Thailand are Chinese-Thai, in the past the US was the Big Elephant so homage was paid and profit taken. Thing is though there is this perception that China is about to become the new Big Elephant, sooooo policy is switching to that direction. If it was a Chinese study what would have been the reply? No...I don't think so.

The US is undoubtably bankrupting itself through greed and supporting mafia banks, however it is still by leagues way ahead of any other military (I am not pro US war mongering but that is the reality) and will be for some time to come. The Chinese economic miracle is about cheap manufacturing to supply the West, so how do you reckon that is going to go with the West financially collapsing, where is the demand? They escaped the last crisis by ordereing banks to loan to local governments to build infrastructure and apartments. OK, so are the loans being repaid? No, nor will they ever be, it was a form of supply stimulus. They are seriously printing money and devaluing their currency like so many other loser politicians, it is yet another Ponzi scheme and will eventually collapse.

So it may well turn out that Thailand is backing the wrong horse through cultural connections most poorerThais don't have and through a clairvoyance of future ecomomies that may well prove wrong (in the short term at least).

[tzthib]

Perhaps its time for the US to move on. I bet Burma would welcome the NASA project, as well as the ties that the US has with Thailand.

It seems the Thais have forgotten who buys all the shit they make in those factories. It sure isnt their Chinese masters.

Edited June 23, 2012 by tzthib

[h90]

Yes, please do not forget why Pattaya is even in existence today, not to mention all the airports and roads that the US built for Thailand not to mention all the aid they have given to Thailand??. Do you really think China is going to help Thailand like the US has in the past??? They will only explout Thailand like they have done with all the countries they deal with in Africa. Plus, do you really think if the US wanted to spy on Thailand or the surrounding countries they would even ask permission to use the base. They are probably already doing this and nobody can do anything about it !! Get real, this is a simple science project of NASA, nothing more. It is not about predicting the weather as some A-holes say, it is about studying the weather patterns of the ares. It is well known that nobody can predict the weather but it does not hurt to stucdy the ciimate patterns, etc This is one thing NASA does and does well. If you look at the Thai weather, it is a joke compared to any developled country. It would be a shame to see Thailand turn it's back on the US over something like this but not really that surprising.

Well if there are big problems in Asia China is usually the first who help. At the floods in Myanmar or in Thailand. As well they help in Africa, but without messing around in the local politics. That has strong advantages and strong disadvantages.

No one neither the USA nor China help because they are so nice, both do it for the outlook of future business or better images that allows future business. As China thinks in long terms my vote is for China.

[pattayaronbo]

Yes, I actually hope the US goes to Burma if Thailand blows this and also punishes Thailand in regards to aid and military help. If Thailand is so dumb to go Chinese then let them go. Yes, I heard the aruments for China but you know what , without the EU or the US, there is no China, look at the numbers now... 8 months of factory output shrinkrage. I am still betting on the US because they always find a way to come back and they still are so far superior re: military strength, etc. China still has a long ways to go but, yes they will get there but I sure hope it is not in my lifetime, Can you imagine ??? I do not want too.

Btw: This is not even a blip on the US news networks so that is how much this counts for the US.

[h90]

Yes, I actually hope the US goes to Burma if Thailand blows this and also punishes Thailand in regards to aid and military help. If Thailand is so dumb to go Chinese then let them go. Yes, I heard the aruments for China but you know what , without the EU or the US, there is no China, look at the numbers now... 8 months of factory output shrinkrage. I am still betting on the US because they always find a way to come back and they still are so far superior re: military strength, etc. China still has a long ways to go but, yes they will get there but I sure hope it is not in my lifetime, Can you imagine ??? I do not want too.

Btw: This is not even a blip on the US news networks so that is how much this counts for the US.

You are right without EU and US there is no China, but without China there is no US and EU (and Japan) as well.

Everyone outsourced to China, China bought all the debts.

Lets say EU and US blocks China. China can sell all their USD and Euro. Which would be bad but not as bad as many believe because EU and USA would fall together and they big enough to have enough internal economic. So from the point of money they could stand it.

But the production....almost everything comes from China and what does not come from China comes from Indonesia, India, Thailand etc etc and with the currency problem it will be too expensive.

That would crash everyones economic.

There are a lot of talks, China-India-Russia-Brazil, but either there isn't much or they don't like each other much.

[TheCure]

Obviously some big shot with a silly uniform and lots of medals did not get his cut on the deal .

[Jingthing]

I reckon this article is related to this topic:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-seeks-return-to-se-asian-bases/2012/06/22/gJQAKP83vV_story.html

As the Obama administration revamps its Asian strategy in response to a rising China, the U.S. military is eyeing a return to some familiar bases from its last conflict in the region — the Vietnam War.

In recent weeks, the Pentagon has intensified discussions with Thailand about creating a regional disaster-relief hub at an American-built airfield that housed B-52 bombers during the 1960s and 1970s. U.S. officials said they are also interested in more naval visits to Thai ports and joint surveillance flights to monitor trade routes and military movements.

[bangkokbruce]

The Thai government won't "sell out" to the USA.....yet they will be sold out to the Russians in Pattaya and the Singapores in the rice paddy...I can think of 20 other examples as well

[tzthib]

Yes, I actually hope the US goes to Burma if Thailand blows this and also punishes Thailand in regards to aid and military help. If Thailand is so dumb to go Chinese then let them go. Yes, I heard the aruments for China but you know what , without the EU or the US, there is no China, look at the numbers now... 8 months of factory output shrinkrage. I am still betting on the US because they always find a way to come back and they still are so far superior re: military strength, etc. China still has a long ways to go but, yes they will get there but I sure hope it is not in my lifetime, Can you imagine ??? I do not want too.

Btw: This is not even a blip on the US news networks so that is how much this counts for the US.

You are right without EU and US there is no China, but without China there is no US and EU (and Japan) as well.

Everyone outsourced to China, China bought all the debts.

Lets say EU and US blocks China. China can sell all their USD and Euro. Which would be bad but not as bad as many believe because EU and USA would fall together and they big enough to have enough internal economic. So from the point of money they could stand it.

But the production....almost everything comes from China and what does not come from China comes from Indonesia, India, Thailand etc etc and with the currency problem it will be too expensive.

That would crash everyones economic.

There are a lot of talks, China-India-Russia-Brazil, but either there isn't much or they don't like each other much.

Its actually a misconception that China owns all or even a majority of US debt. The truth is, China owns 8% of US debt. The majority of US debt is owned by Americans. If they decided to sell all of their debt holdings and commit economic suicide, the US would still be ok. Furthermore, the US is China's largest trading partner, so any Chinese attempts to hurt the US economically would probably end up looking like wiley coyote trying to drop an anvil on the roadrunner.

China's long held advantages are starting to dissappear. Cheap labor is drying up, and many foreign companies are beginning to realize the market is stacked against them. But I digress...

Thailand stands to gain from China losing its advantages in the manufacturing sector. If they continue to shit in their curry, however, perhaps western companies will wise up and look westward to Burma. After all, Burma seems more than willing to open up to western business and is moving away from China. Maybe the leaders in Burma learned something about the cost of Chinese support that the Thais have yet to....

[h90]

Yes, I actually hope the US goes to Burma if Thailand blows this and also punishes Thailand in regards to aid and military help. If Thailand is so dumb to go Chinese then let them go. Yes, I heard the aruments for China but you know what , without the EU or the US, there is no China, look at the numbers now... 8 months of factory output shrinkrage. I am still betting on the US because they always find a way to come back and they still are so far superior re: military strength, etc. China still has a long ways to go but, yes they will get there but I sure hope it is not in my lifetime, Can you imagine ??? I do not want too.

Btw: This is not even a blip on the US news networks so that is how much this counts for the US.

You are right without EU and US there is no China, but without China there is no US and EU (and Japan) as well.

Everyone outsourced to China, China bought all the debts.

Lets say EU and US blocks China. China can sell all their USD and Euro. Which would be bad but not as bad as many believe because EU and USA would fall together and they big enough to have enough internal economic. So from the point of money they could stand it.

But the production....almost everything comes from China and what does not come from China comes from Indonesia, India, Thailand etc etc and with the currency problem it will be too expensive.

That would crash everyones economic.

There are a lot of talks, China-India-Russia-Brazil, but either there isn't much or they don't like each other much.

Its actually a misconception that China owns all or even a majority of US debt. The truth is, China owns 8% of US debt. The majority of US debt is owned by Americans. If they decided to sell all of their debt holdings and commit economic suicide, the US would still be ok. Furthermore, the US is China's largest trading partner, so any Chinese attempts to hurt the US economically would probably end up looking like wiley coyote trying to drop an anvil on the roadrunner.

China's long held advantages are starting to dissappear. Cheap labor is drying up, and many foreign companies are beginning to realize the market is stacked against them. But I digress...

Thailand stands to gain from China losing its advantages in the manufacturing sector. If they continue to shit in their curry, however, perhaps western companies will wise up and look westward to Burma. After all, Burma seems more than willing to open up to western business and is moving away from China. Maybe the leaders in Burma learned something about the cost of Chinese support that the Thais have yet to....

Sorry, yes 8 %....If they sell these 8 % it would be wrack the world economic. As the $ would fall and everyone would run out from the $, maybe into Euro or Yen and than most probably back into the $. China starts to have good quality companies, not just cheap production, but also start to move production into cheaper countries. To my surprise a lot to Africa.

On some technical plastics European companies consider to stop production complete. That would mean there would be only Chinese left (+ some minor ones). Which seems pretty dangerous to the rest of the world. It would put China in a position like they have now on the rare earth elements.

I don't know enough from USA, but for Europe it seems we gave ourself up and commit a slow economic suicide, making it easy for countries like China.

[tzthib]

Yes, I actually hope the US goes to Burma if Thailand blows this and also punishes Thailand in regards to aid and military help. If Thailand is so dumb to go Chinese then let them go. Yes, I heard the aruments for China but you know what , without the EU or the US, there is no China, look at the numbers now... 8 months of factory output shrinkrage. I am still betting on the US because they always find a way to come back and they still are so far superior re: military strength, etc. China still has a long ways to go but, yes they will get there but I sure hope it is not in my lifetime, Can you imagine ??? I do not want too.

Btw: This is not even a blip on the US news networks so that is how much this counts for the US.

You are right without EU and US there is no China, but without China there is no US and EU (and Japan) as well.

Everyone outsourced to China, China bought all the debts.

Lets say EU and US blocks China. China can sell all their USD and Euro. Which would be bad but not as bad as many believe because EU and USA would fall together and they big enough to have enough internal economic. So from the point of money they could stand it.

But the production....almost everything comes from China and what does not come from China comes from Indonesia, India, Thailand etc etc and with the currency problem it will be too expensive.

That would crash everyones economic.

There are a lot of talks, China-India-Russia-Brazil, but either there isn't much or they don't like each other much.

Its actually a misconception that China owns all or even a majority of US debt. The truth is, China owns 8% of US debt. The majority of US debt is owned by Americans. If they decided to sell all of their debt holdings and commit economic suicide, the US would still be ok. Furthermore, the US is China's largest trading partner, so any Chinese attempts to hurt the US economically would probably end up looking like wiley coyote trying to drop an anvil on the roadrunner.

China's long held advantages are starting to dissappear. Cheap labor is drying up, and many foreign companies are beginning to realize the market is stacked against them. But I digress...

Thailand stands to gain from China losing its advantages in the manufacturing sector. If they continue to shit in their curry, however, perhaps western companies will wise up and look westward to Burma. After all, Burma seems more than willing to open up to western business and is moving away from China. Maybe the leaders in Burma learned something about the cost of Chinese support that the Thais have yet to....

Sorry, yes 8 %....If they sell these 8 % it would be wrack the world economic. As the $ would fall and everyone would run out from the $, maybe into Euro or Yen and than most probably back into the $. China starts to have good quality companies, not just cheap production, but also start to move production into cheaper countries. To my surprise a lot to Africa.

On some technical plastics European companies consider to stop production complete. That would mean there would be only Chinese left (+ some minor ones). Which seems pretty dangerous to the rest of the world. It would put China in a position like they have now on the rare earth elements.

I don't know enough from USA, but for Europe it seems we gave ourself up and commit a slow economic suicide, making it easy for countries like China.

I agree, we in the West tend to play by a different set of rules it seems. We do not operate our businesses with the national interest first like most of our Asian "partners". But since Chinese business equals Chinese government most of the time it is to be expected they would have motivations other than pure profit. As for the strength of Chinese businesses, I read an article a few weeks back from Bloomberg discussing the accounting practices at Chinese banks. Its worth a read. It really makes me question the REAL strength of Chinese businesses. In short, they operate in ways that makes Wall Street bankers look like James Stewart from "Its a Wonderful Life".

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-10/china-s-big-banks-look-more-like-paper-tigers.html

Here's another from the New York Times about gov't falsification of data, if you're interested.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/23/business/global/chinese-data-said-to-be-manipulated-understating-its-slowdown.html?pagewanted=all

As for what would happen if they sold all of their holdings, I do wonder if it would be such a calamity. I am no expert, but due to the amazingly low yields currently paid out on US debt, perhaps there is enough excess demand to soak all of it up. Then China would have another problem: what to do with all the money? They are pretty much forced to hold US debt, there isn't any other place to put it.

I think Thailand is picking a losing horse in this race. Their allegiance is cheap, anyway. This is the country that declared war on the US in WWII only to come crawling back post war with the "we were forced to" excuse.

[EvilDrSomkid]

What does the above have to do with NASA wanting to use U-Tapao (and possibly Surat Thani) for 2 whopping months to base three (3) high altitude atmospheric research planes?

Apparently, the request was made during the Democrat government. Why do they say they need to study the proposal?

Oh silly me, so the agency boffins can look self important and stuffy.

[scotbeve]

Perhaps they are worried about a plot to steal their advanced weather control technology.

You mean they were able to make copies from the Avengers movie??? Gadzooks!!!!

[scotbeve]

Oh dear, note to self. Start Chinese diet and stay off the Thai food.

This is closer to the truth!!!