Thaksin's Reality TV Program To Start January 16

[Jai Dee]

PM THAKSIN'S REALITY TV WILL START NEXT WEEK

Backstage Show: "The Prime Minister" will become Thailand's first reality TV program that tracks every move of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, during one of his missions to eradicate poverty from Thailand.

Mr. SOMPAN CHARUMILINDA (สมพันธ์ จารุมิลินท), the Chief Executive Officer of the United Broadcasting Corporation Public Company Limited (UBC), revealed that the 5 days 5 nights program would portray the prime minister's activities during his visit to Roi Et (ร้อยเอ็ด) Province to address the poverty issue there. The public will be able to see real occurrences around the clock as well as interviews with people with different views. The program will air between January 16th and 20th on UBC Channel 16, starting at 8 A.M. on the first day.

Mr. SOMPAN said viewers would be able to see the prime minister's work from another angle with this reality program.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 12 January 2006

[Insight]

Me and the g/f reckon he should head further south to film this one.

He's a businessman, so he should appreciate how much the value of the show with increase exponentially should he get shot on live TV.

[thaibebop]

I don't thnk you'll ever see a US pres. doing that. Stupid or crazy I can't tell.

[stumonster]

out of all the footage that will be aired on television I am sure you could create a very artistic montage maybe back it with a 'rap' tune...

[penzman]

The Thai Robs Thai leader is obviously envious of Sondhi's popularity since he started his own show to criticize the Pee M and his following and he's coming up with these "bright" :whistle: ideas...

First, he tried to emulate Sondhi by having his own rally, using vulgar speech to a crowd of thousands of taxi drivers and luring them with prizes, thinking he can't control the press so he'll spread the "good word" through taxi drivers...

Now his own tv reality show...

His reality and the people's reality are very far apart.

Live propaganda for 5 days? With his usual clumsiness, I bet there will be quite a few embarassing incidents, the people involved know this and it won't be live as they say, there will be a delay for sure before broadcast.

[awarrumbungle]

Wow - if it was true to the events might be interesting - pity I don't own a TV.

[Jai Dee]

PM AFFIRMS HE HAS NOT SET A SCENE ON ERADICATING POVERTY IN AT SAMAT

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra asserted that he has not set a scene on eradicating poverty problems in AT SAMAT (อาจสามารถ) District of ROI ET (ร้อยเอ็ด) Province, while believing that his tactics on curbing the troubles can be applied in other poverty-hit provinces.

Referring to the premier's visit to AT SAMAT during January 16th-20th which will be televised on a reality show, he said he expected authorities and people to understand his work and intention in seeking solutions to curb poverty. He said this visit will provide him ideas to tackle the long-term problems in both of micro and macro levels.

Meanwhile, the provincial administrators are preparing details and information of the province to inform and answer the premier’s queries. Moreover, his visit to ROI ET might not get televised the whole 24 hours.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 12 January 2006

[Totster]

I saw an item on the TV the other day where Taxin was staying in a stilt house and had to shower in the outdoors shower with a jar and scoop... big media hoo ha because he could live like the peasants.. the wife wouldn't have any of it... cheap stunt, does it fool anyone ?

totster

[Axel]

... cheap stunt, does it fool anyone ?

totster

Nearly, Totster, nearly but then he carried a towel by an expensive brand-company.

[TAWP]

Since the whole concept of 'erradicating poverty' is an oxymoron to start with, it only takes a moron to try to erradicate it.

And this show will, ofcourse, be a 5 nights/week propaganda-show for him to show of how hard he is working in this so called problem.

Next me could perhaps go onto erradicating free thoughts. That would help him even further in the next election.

[kurgen]

Or even eradicate the elections.No need to plunder and steal the publics money then.

[jbowman1993]

I don't thnk you'll ever see a US pres. doing that. Stupid or crazy I can't tell.

I'm not sure that you should be using George Bush as an example for proper leadership of a country.

[penzman]

How much will the production and airing of this show cost?

Couldn't that money have just been handed out instead?

[george]

This show likely to put some to sleep

BANGKOK: -- Get ready to log your television sets on to UBC Channel 16 this afternoon for the year's most talked about reality show. Back Stage Show: The Prime Minister is the first programme of its kind on earth. It features an incumbent government leader working or doing whatever, and at sleep, around the clock for five days running. The star of the show is _ who else? _ Thaksin Shinawatra, the prime minister of Thailand for the past five years.

Other ministers will also be featured during the show's run. But they are merely extras.

To make sure the audience does not miss a single movement by the star of the show _ of course there are strictly private moments that must be censored _ UBC, the only live broadcaster, has deployed an army of about 100 employees equipped with some 40 cameras to do the shooting throughout the dramatic event.

Reacting to criticism that the reality show is just another publicity stunt to prop up the prime minister's sagging popularity, Mr Thaksin steadfastly maintains the show is meant to give government officials lessons on how he himself approaches and tackles the problem of poverty.

It will be instructive, so rural folks will be able to follow in his footsteps to address the same problem themselves. He also insists that no scripts have been written in advance for him.

So the audience _ if they can afford the time to watch the show in its entirety or just a part of it without getting too bored _ can judge for themselves if this is just a publicity stunt in line with the Thai Rak Thai slogan ''Think New, Act New''.

Or they might decide this is an honest, meaningful exercise that allows government officials to learn valuable tips from our dear leader of how to tackle the poverty problem.

For the show to achieve its objective as outlined by the prime minister _ that is, to reach government officials, particularly those responsible for solving poverty _ it is imperative that they have access to the show, at least a big part of it if not its entirety. Which means the UBC service must be installed in government offices.

More importantly, the officials themselves must be made to watch the show so that they will not miss valuable tips from the prime minister. And that means they will have to set aside their regular work to concentrate on watching the show for five consecutive days.

I wonder how many government offices have access to UBC service, or how many officials will be glued to the show even if they have access to the service. Have orders already been issued to those responsible for solving Thailand's poverty problem, such as interior officials, to watch the programme?

A similar reality show launched last year by UBC, Academy Fantasia, was a big crowd-pulling success. That was partially attributable to the fact that the audience was allowed to take part in the programme by sending in votes for their favourite contestants.

For some unspeakable reason, the producers of Mr Thaksin's reality show have decided not to hold a rating survey by inviting the audience to phone in to express their views about the show. That is understandable. After all, who would watch such a boring programme, which is neither entertaining nor educational, on and on for days.

Mr Thaksin has 19 million fans who voted his Thai Rak Thai party into government in the general election last February. Even if half of those party supporters watch a portion of the show, it could only partially be deemed a success even if the real objective of this whole drama was to prop up the declining popularity of the prime minister rather than give officials some lessons on how to deal with the poverty problem as Mr Thaksin insists.

But whatever the objectives or the consequences, the show must go on. Thank God, only UBC will be broadcasting the show live, 24 hours a day, for the next five consecutive days.

-- Bangkok Post 2006-01-16

PM's reality show flayed before it airs

TV drama could divide the country, critics say

BANGKOK: -- The anti-poverty reality show featuring Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's visit to Roi Et has received poor reviews even before it goes on air today, with academics decrying it as a political TV drama which could split the country. Renowned sociologist Thirayuth Boonmee said it was ironic that Mr Thaksin had lost touch with reality through his own reality programme, ''Backstage Show: Prime Minister'', which begins on UBC cable network today.

''The prime minister is making a personal soap opera out of politics, which is slipping into a serious crisis on so many fronts,'' Mr Thirayuth said.

Mr Thaksin will be on camera for many hours a day as he remains in At Samat district of Roi Et from today till Friday for workshops on eradication of poverty.

He likened the show to a traditional lakhon kae bon _ a form of merit-making in which a troupe of dancers or folk artists give a performance in front of a deity _ aimed at reversing the bad omens which have beset him.

The best setting for it would be in the confines of his own home with his cronies as cast, Mr Thirayuth said, slamming the live show as a waste of taxpayer money.

The prime minister should wake up to the myriad problems facing the country. The economy must be put right, and poverty still troubled most of the population. The bird flu scare had not gone away and the southern violence posed such grave concerns that Privy Council chairman Gen Prem Tinsulanonda and former prime minister Anand Panyarachun had to step into the peace-building process.

The Thammasat University academic predicted a crisis for the government this year.

''Solving the country's problems is not something to toy with. It certainly isn't a political fantasia,'' Mr Thirayuth said, comparing the At Samat show to the popular Academy Fantasia TV programme which searches for new stars.

The At Samat show, criticised as image dressing for Mr Thaksin, would preoccupy government officials and cabinet ministers with trivial tasks such as writing scripts and frying rice. They would not have time to attend to more urgent national issues.

Mr Thirayuth said his worry was that Mr Thaksin was using the show as an instrument to enlist political support from people upcountry to counter public discontent with him in Bangkok.

City folks were disenchanted by the numerous corruption allegations against Mr Thaksin's relatives and cronies and his trampling on the free press, Mr Thirayuth said. The prime minister needed a political cushion to fall back on and he was likely to visit the provinces more often this year.

He drew a parallel with some Latin American countries where the leaders' supporters in the provinces clash with city residents unhappy with a corrupt government.

The people would be divided, he said, pointing to the Friday night scuffles between supporters of media firebrand Sondhi Limthongkul, who is the prime minister's most vocal critic, and the anti-Sondhi group from the North, Mr Thaksin's home turf. ''Mr Thaksin seems to have hit a dead end staying in Bangkok where he is hounded by critics. So he heads to the provinces to get people there to come to his side,'' Mr Thirayuth said.

The only ''plus'' he could think of about the At Samat show was that it may help raise local people's political awareness.

Government spokesman Surapong Suebwonglee insisted the show was neither a TV drama nor a tool to polarise the country. The government intended it to be a lesson for state officials nationwide to learn first-hand from the prime minister how to eradicate poverty.

The show's target groups were officials, not viewers at home, and so there would no broadcast of Mr Thaksin sleeping or taking a bath.

Mr Surapong said Mr Thaksin did not set out to divide the people. He wanted to lead by example through a demonstration of people-centred development.

Agriculture Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said Mr Thaksin would listen to At Samat residents and local leaders and analyse their problems, particularly those relating to low farm prices.

''There will be no showering of gifts or waving of the magic wand,'' she said.

The latest Abac Poll found the majority of Bangkok residents had little interest in the show. While 29% of the respondents thought the show was not a good idea, 20% approved of it _ but 51% declined to comment at all.

The Northeastern Civic Coalition said the show was a publicity machine for Mr Thaksin and disregarded local wisdom.

Spokesman Vivatchai Timhin said local people knew best what was needed to improve their lives.

The government's populist policies were ruining local farmers' ability to be self-sufficient. The prime minister lacked any insight into the roots of poverty.

Suntree Sengking, chairman of the network of NGOs in the Northeast, said the populist policies forced poor people to rely more on the Thai Rak Thai party and only aggravated people's debt burdens.

The show would undermine the bureaucratic system, particularly agencies such as the Centre Against Poverty chaired by Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh.

If Mr Thaksin was sincere about tackling poverty, he should be brave enough to meet poor people from other districts.

--Bangkok Post 2006-01-16

[stumonster]

Get ready to log your television sets on to UBC Channel 16 this afternoon for the year's most talked about reality show.

no

[The Dan Sai Kid]

He drew a parallel with some Latin American countries where the leaders' supporters in the provinces clash with city residents unhappy with a corrupt government.

Well, if you start comparing your country to Banana Republics you know something's wrong...