Free food and fiery resentment at Thai protests

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Free food and fiery resentment at Thai protests
by Kelly MACNAMARA

BANGKOK, November 28, 2013 (AFP) - Underwear swings from washing lines near clusters of tents in the finance ministry grounds in Bangkok as food aromas and the cheerful screech of whistles fill the air. Welcome to street politics -- Thai style.

But behind the carnival atmosphere lies deep fractures within Thai society, with tens of thousands of demonstrators seeking to topple Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's government and replace it with an unelected "people's council".
A loose alliance of protesters united by their loathing of ousted Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra -- Yingluck's brother -- have paralysed several government ministries since Monday.

The largely peaceful demos are the biggest since pro-Thaksin "Red Shirt" rallies three years ago ended in bloodshed, and one of several episodes of civil unrest since royalist generals ousted Thaksin in a 2006 coup.

The billionaire tycoon-turned-politician has broad support from the working class and rural poor in his northeastern heartland. But he is despised by many southerners, middle-class Thais and the Bangkok elite, who see him as corrupt and a threat to the revered monarchy.

With t-shirt vendors, an ear-splitting sound system and protesters making themselves heard with whistles and plastic trumpets, the finance ministry has taken on a festival feel since it was occupied on Monday.

It has even taken on a festival aroma, despite the line of toilet buses parked on the street outside, and the makeshift laundry facilities that have left the compound draped with drying clothes.

A large banner reveals the level of animosity towards the Shinawatras, scrawled with crude insults against Yingluck, many using her Thai nickname "poo", or crab.

"Prostitute crab, rotten crab" reads one of the more printable entries. "The Shinawatras are as bad as dogs" says another.
"The northeast people are good people, but they have been brainwashed by Thaksin," said Dhiranut Bunna, wielding a "death penalty to Thaksin" sign.

But many disagree, saying he awoke a new political consciousness that has irreversibly altered the Thai political landscape, with pro-Thaksin parties winning every election for more than a decade.

The latest rallies began several weeks ago when the ruling party tried to push through a sweeping amnesty bill that could have allowed Thaksin to return from self-imposed exile abroad, but was rejected in the upper house Senate.

The divisive ex-leader lives in Dubai to avoid a jail term for corruption that he contends is politically motivated, but few doubt he is the real power behind the ruling party.

Galvanised by the anti-Thaksin sentiment that erupted over the bill, opposition protesters have widened their goal to demand the end of the "Thaksin regime".

Many demonstrators are expressing a desire for the country's democratic system to be at least temporarily suspended.

It is a familiar scenario in a country that has seen 18 actual or attempted coups since 1932, and has a judiciary with a record of dissolving political parties and banning their executives.

'An ingrained sense of superiority'
Thailand expert Chris Baker, co-author of a biography on Thaksin, said the current protests underline the "insecurity" of Bangkok's privileged middle class which fears the up-ending of the nation's social order.

He said Thaksin's northeast heartland had transformed in the last decade, with communities now casting their votes for "political self-interest".

But many of the urban middle classes had little first-hand experience of these rural areas and still believe an "old story about how all people upcountry were very poor and we had to feel sorry for them".

"It's a sort of sense of superiority which is very ingrained," Baker told AFP.

That sentiment was perceptible at Democracy Monument, another key protest site in the capital, where a largely middle-aged crowd sheltered from the tropical sun.

"We eat well, live well. We all have money and look good. They look dirty and are uncivilised," said 64-year-old Niaw, who hails from Bangkok.

Housewife Nantapaul Jirasan, part of a small army of volunteers serving up free food, voted for Thaksin a decade ago.

But she later decided he was a "cheating person", she told AFP as she worked among the towers of take-away boxes, large coils of noodles and vats of curry that make up the huge catering enterprise at the site.

"He gave money to people in the villages so they think he is great," said the 47-year-old, repeating a commonly-held view over vote buying and populist policies that saw billions of baht pumped into rural communities.

Bangkok is no stranger to large-scale demonstrations, with major anti-Thaksin rallies leading up to the 2006 coup and then paralysing the city's airports in 2008.

Peaceful protests can quickly turn violent, as seen in 2010 when soldiers spilled onto the streets firing live rounds at mostly unarmed protesters in a crackdown under the previous government that left 90 people dead and nearly 1,900 wounded.

Once established, the elaborate rallies can be hard to shift, putting a strain on the already heaving capital. Extra staff have been drafted in to work around the clock to cope with the mountain of waste produced at protest sites.

"I want them to achieve what they want quickly so that the country can be peaceful -- and I will get a break," said Sukanya Kaewmisri, a municipal cleaner clutching a broom at the gates of the foreign ministry.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2013-11-28

[Yunla]

The northeast people are good people, but they have been brainwashed by Thaksin

Amen. This is the key message that needs to be repeated 24/7. Everybody I have spoken to in Bangkok has always said that the people of the North deserve serious investment and improvements in quality of life across the board. The "us against them" rhetoric of the PTP is a fallacy, most ordinary Thais including Democrats, do genuinely want people in the North to have a higher standard of living. The irony is that the most divisive and outspoken party on the issue of the North and agrarian workers' rights (PTP) are the ones who have been in power for years and have done absolutely nothing to improve that situation.

[Emptyset]

The northeast people are good people, but they have been brainwashed by Thaksin

Amen. This is the key message that needs to be repeated 24/7. Everybody I have spoken to in Bangkok has always said that the people of the North deserve serious investment and improvements in quality of life across the board. The "us against them" rhetoric of the PTP is a fallacy, most ordinary Thais including Democrats, do genuinely want people in the North to have a higher standard of living. The irony is that the most divisive and outspoken party on the issue of the North and agrarian workers' rights (PTP) are the ones who have been in power for years and have done absolutely nothing to improve that situation.

Yes, I'm sure those in the NE will respond well to the accusation they've been brainwashed. You should definitely keep repeating it. As you say, 24/7. Especially at night, where they'll be lying awake, unable to sleep because of the constant yelling: 'Brainwashed! Brainwashed! Stupid! Buffalo! Brainwashed!' They'll be forced to listen, won't they? Don't forget to use a good megaphone because some of the old farmers and their wives up there are hard of hearing, you know. But I'm sure when they do hear your message, they'll rush out with garlands of flowers, thanking you effusively for finally awakening them from their terrible ignorance. Then you shall ride together for Bangkok to defeat the Shinawatra dynasty once and for all!

[JAS21]

My wife, who is from Kanchanaburi, voted for Thaksins party ten years ago but she doesn't anymore.

[Yunla]

Yes, I'm sure those in the NE will respond well to the accusation they've been brainwashed. You should definitely keep repeating it. As you say, 24/7. Especially at night, where they'll be lying awake, unable to sleep because of the constant yelling: 'Brainwashed! Brainwashed! Stupid! Buffalo! Brainwashed!' They'll be forced to listen, won't they? Don't forget to use a good megaphone because some of the old farmers and their wives up there are hard of hearing, you know. But I'm sure when they do hear your message, they'll rush out with garlands of flowers, thanking you effusively for finally awakening them from their terrible ignorance. Then you shall ride together for Bangkok to defeat the Shinawatra dynasty once and for all!

You seem to misunderstand, and to take the word brainwashed out of the context of the statement. The message is that the majority of normal people in the capital do consider people in the North to be good people and to deserve a better life than they have had. The brainwashed by Thaksin was a side note, if you read my post I don't mention Thaksin once, in my entire post I was talking about how the North is perceived, and how it has been used as a weaponised issue by the PTP and wrongly so too.

Edited November 28, 2013 by Yunla

[Emptyset]

Yes, I'm sure those in the NE will respond well to the accusation they've been brainwashed. You should definitely keep repeating it. As you say, 24/7. Especially at night, where they'll be lying awake, unable to sleep because of the constant yelling: 'Brainwashed! Brainwashed! Stupid! Buffalo! Brainwashed!' They'll be forced to listen, won't they? Don't forget to use a good megaphone because some of the old farmers and their wives up there are hard of hearing, you know. But I'm sure when they do hear your message, they'll rush out with garlands of flowers, thanking you effusively for finally awakening them from their terrible ignorance. Then you shall ride together for Bangkok to defeat the Shinawatra dynasty once and for all!

You seem to misunderstand, and to take the word brainwashed out of the context of the statement. The message is that the majority of normal people in the capital do consider people in the North to be good people and to deserve a better life than they have had. The brainwashed by Thaksin was a side note, if you read my post I don't mention Thaksin once, in my entire post I was talking about how the North is percieved, and how it has been used as a weaponised issue by the PTP and wrongly so too.

I'm sure people in Bangkok do wish those in the NE had a better life. But the attitude often seems a bit like one of those Victorian philanthropists in a Dickens novel. They want to help the natives, of course, abject as they are, but the natives also need to be 'civilized', don't they? It comes across even to some outsiders as very superior. It begins from a position of 'we're the virtuous ones', rather than a from position of genuine empathy and will to engage in a constructive two-way dialogue. More or less exactly as Chris Baker says in the article, really: 'But many of the urban middle classes had little first-hand experience of these rural areas and still believe an "old story about how all people upcountry were very poor and we had to feel sorry for them". "It's a sort of sense of superiority which is very ingrained," Baker told AFP.'

Edited November 28, 2013 by Emptyset

[Yunla]

I'm sure people in Bangkok do wish those in the NE had a better life. But the attitude often seems a bit like one of those Victorian philanthropists in a Dickens novel. They want to help the natives, of course, abject as they are, but the natives also need to be 'civilized', don't they? It comes across even to some outsiders as very superior. It begins from a position of 'we're the virtuous ones', rather than a from position of genuine empathy and will to engage in a constructive two-way dialogue. More or less exactly as Chris Baker says in the article, really: 'But many of the urban middle classes had little first-hand experience of these rural areas and still believe an "old story about how all people upcountry were very poor and we had to feel sorry for them". "It's a sort of sense of superiority which is very ingrained," Baker told AFP.'

Yes it is true there are seriously ingrained prejudices here, and not only against farmers etc. but against foreigners and ethnic minorities. That is a bigger subject and many people have suggested that because of Thailand's location geographically is has felt pressured by its neighbours especially China, and proud of its independence through the centuries and this has led to a feeling of being superior - which as you know is often a reflex self-defense mechanism in humans. And it carries across with the urban/rural divide too.

But while I am no expert on Thailand, and have visited here for a long time but not emigrated here, my own experience is that anyone I speak to in Bangkok, if the conversation turns to the North, the words are always of kindness and "we are all Thais" and how those people in the North deserve improvements in their quality of life too. I feel this is very important, as it destroys the divisive politics that certain parties engage in.

[MJP]

The northeast people are good people, but they have been brainwashed by Thaksin

Amen. This is the key message that needs to be repeated 24/7. Everybody I have spoken to in Bangkok has always said that the people of the North deserve serious investment and improvements in quality of life across the board. The "us against them" rhetoric of the PTP is a fallacy, most ordinary Thais including Democrats, do genuinely want people in the North to have a higher standard of living. The irony is that the most divisive and outspoken party on the issue of the North and agrarian workers' rights (PTP) are the ones who have been in power for years and have done absolutely nothing to improve that situation.

The smart ones up here in Issan realize they've been had over by you know who. They're at a loss over which direction the whole shabang now goes.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

The northeast people are good people, but they have been brainwashed by Thaksin

Amen. This is the key message that needs to be repeated 24/7.

No, it's condescending claptrap. As if those silly hillbillies don't know any better.

> The irony is that the most divisive and outspoken party on the issue of the North

> and agrarian workers' rights (PTP) are the ones who have been in power for years

> and have done absolutely nothing to improve that situation.

Wait, what? Incredible agricultural subsidies are being handed out; everybody disagrees if that was a good idea or not but you can't then ALSO argue that it doesn't amount to something. Same for the minimum wage hike which was as significant as it was LONG over due.

So don't call that nothing; from a PTP electorate point of view, they ARE delivering, as the Shinawatras/TRT/PTP have always done (healthcare for the poor, etc.) Again, the yellow/Dem side were fiercely opposed to that, largely for selfish reasons, but nobody denies that they ARE delivering. "Aboslutely nothing" can only mean you're not paying attention.

Finally after all those years the rural and urban poor are a force to be reconed with, as you would expect in a (country that occasionlly pretends to be a) democracy. The 'yellow' side largely wants to undo all that, even if it means forcing another military coup d'etat.

Edited November 28, 2013 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Thai at Heart]

The northeast people are good people, but they have been brainwashed by Thaksin

Amen. This is the key message that needs to be repeated 24/7. Everybody I have spoken to in Bangkok has always said that the people of the North deserve serious investment and improvements in quality of life across the board. The "us against them" rhetoric of the PTP is a fallacy, most ordinary Thais including Democrats, do genuinely want people in the North to have a higher standard of living. The irony is that the most divisive and outspoken party on the issue of the North and agrarian workers' rights (PTP) are the ones who have been in power for years and have done absolutely nothing to improve that situation.

So why have all the Bangkok politicians prior to thaksin taken such a generous stance with developing isaan if it's been so obvious they need development?

Ah of course, they were busy dealing with the south first. Bangkok can say what it likes about how much it wants to develop isaan. But this is definitely a case of actions speaking louder than words.

[JRSoul]

'An ingrained sense of superiority' sounds like a good sub-title for Thaksin's biography.

Edited November 28, 2013 by JRSoul

[Yunla]

So why have all the Bangkok politicians prior to thaksin taken such a generous stance with developing isaan if it's been so obvious they need development?

Ah of course, they were busy dealing with the south first. Bangkok can say what it likes about how much it wants to develop isaan. But this is definitely a case of actions speaking louder than words.

I think there may well be a sizeable gap between what politicians have historically done in Thailand, and what the common man or woman on the streets of Bangkok think would be the right thing to have done.

[JRSoul]

No, it's condescending claptrap. As if those silly hillbillies don't know any better.

> The irony is that the most divisive and outspoken party on the issue of the North

> and agrarian workers' rights (PTP) are the ones who have been in power for years

> and have done absolutely nothing to improve that situation.

Wait, what? Incredible agricultural subsidies are being handed out; everybody disagrees if that was a good idea or not but you can't then ALSO argue that it doesn't amount to something. Same for the minimum wage hike which was as significant as it was LONG over due.

So don't call that nothing; from a PTP electorate point of view, they ARE delivering, as the Shinawatras/TRT/PTP have always done (healthcare for the poor, etc.) Again, the yellow/Dem side were fiercely opposed to that, largely for selfish reasons, but nobody denies that they ARE delivering. "Aboslutely nothing" can only mean you're not paying attention.

Finally after all those years the rural poor are a force to be reconed with, as you would expect in a (country that occasionlly pretends to be a) democracy. The 'yellow' side largely wants to undo all that, even if it means forcing another military coup d'etat.

Oh great, agricultural subsidies. Propping up inefficient and uneconomic primary industries with the tax money of those working efficiently. So how many years can hundreds of billions of baht be lost/stolen before the whole scheme collapses causing untold misery to those supposedly being helped? The answer appears to be less than 3.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

No, it's condescending claptrap. As if those silly hillbillies don't know any better.

> The irony is that the most divisive and outspoken party on the issue of the North

> and agrarian workers' rights (PTP) are the ones who have been in power for years

> and have done absolutely nothing to improve that situation.

Wait, what? Incredible agricultural subsidies are being handed out; everybody disagrees if that was a good idea or not but you can't then ALSO argue that it doesn't amount to something. Same for the minimum wage hike which was as significant as it was LONG over due.

So don't call that nothing; from a PTP electorate point of view, they ARE delivering, as the Shinawatras/TRT/PTP have always done (healthcare for the poor, etc.) Again, the yellow/Dem side were fiercely opposed to that, largely for selfish reasons, but nobody denies that they ARE delivering. "Aboslutely nothing" can only mean you're not paying attention.

Finally after all those years the rural poor are a force to be reconed with, as you would expect in a (country that occasionlly pretends to be a) democracy. The 'yellow' side largely wants to undo all that, even if it means forcing another military coup d'etat.

Oh great, agricultural subsidies. Propping up inefficient and uneconomic primary industries with the tax money of those working efficiently. So how many years can hundreds of billions of baht be lost/stolen before the whole scheme collapses causing untold misery to those supposedly being helped? The answer appears to be less than 3.

I'm not saying otherwise. I was responding to a person who claimed that PTP is not delivering to their base. Clearly they are, in fact TRT/PTP's electoral success is based on delivering on promises, which was a radical departure from the old status quo.

Absolutely can you find fault with each and every one of those policies, but the 'clueless brainwashed country folk' tale doesn't hold up, because for the first time are they seeing a direct relation between their vote and their daily lives. That started with Thaksin. And yes, that also makes for an argument about the 'tyranny of the majority' which is a great discussion to have. But don't call it nothing.

Edited November 28, 2013 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Thai at Heart]

So why have all the Bangkok politicians prior to thaksin taken such a generous stance with developing isaan if it's been so obvious they need development?

Ah of course, they were busy dealing with the south first. Bangkok can say what it likes about how much it wants to develop isaan. But this is definitely a case of actions speaking louder than words.

I think there may well be a sizeable gap between what politicians have historically done in Thailand, and what the common man or woman on the streets of Bangkok think would be the right thing to have done.

Well there we are, and over the years I haven't heard to many Bangkokians pleading with the government to spend more money up there.

[ramrod711]

Yes, the people of Issan have realised what their votes are worth, unfortunately they are not getting value for money. The disaster of a rice scheme has seen every middleman and village official gain while the farmers have not even been paid for the rice they have "sold". Now, it seems, the people of the south have seen what power they have to alter a situation that was clearly not right. You may not agree with their methods but there has been no burning yet. I can only imagine how a resident of Bangkok must feel after 2010, pretty much the same way i would feel if a bunch of rubber farmers came and closed my city down, burned shopping centres, attempted to blow up the main power lines, and tried to ignite the fuel bunker at the airport ......pi..ed off.

[Thai at Heart]

Yes, the people of Issan have realised what their votes are worth, unfortunately they are not getting value for money. The disaster of a rice scheme has seen every middleman and village official gain while the farmers have not even been paid for the rice they have "sold". Now, it seems, the people of the south have seen what power they have to alter a situation that was clearly not right. You may not agree with their methods but there has been no burning yet. I can only imagine how a resident of Bangkok must feel after 2010, pretty much the same way i would feel if a bunch of rubber farmers came and closed my city down, burned shopping centres, attempted to blow up the main power lines, and tried to ignite the fuel bunker at the airport ......pi..ed off.

Indeed, if I was a farmer from the South I might tend to feel extremely short changed by my long term support of the Democrats.

Votes! Good God! What are they good for?

Seems that on the whole, the people who gain the most out of ANY government subsidy program are the leeches in between. Just imagine what Thailand would look like today if 15 to 30% of every government baht hadn't been siphoned off by the few.

[chrisrazz]

"We eat well, live well. We all have money and look good. They look dirty and are uncivilised," said 64-year-old Niaw, who hails from Bangkok.

That sums up the attitude of the middle class, who in fact aspire to be HiSo or think they already are.

I actually know of very few Isaan farmers that have enough rice to sell. It is to feed the family, so who the rice sceme was aimed at benefitting I don't know.

[Crushdepth]

No, it's condescending claptrap. As if those silly hillbillies don't know any better.

> The irony is that the most divisive and outspoken party on the issue of the North

> and agrarian workers' rights (PTP) are the ones who have been in power for years

> and have done absolutely nothing to improve that situation.

Wait, what? Incredible agricultural subsidies are being handed out; everybody disagrees if that was a good idea or not but you can't then ALSO argue that it doesn't amount to something. Same for the minimum wage hike which was as significant as it was LONG over due.

So don't call that nothing; from a PTP electorate point of view, they ARE delivering, as the Shinawatras/TRT/PTP have always done (healthcare for the poor, etc.) Again, the yellow/Dem side were fiercely opposed to that, largely for selfish reasons, but nobody denies that they ARE delivering. "Aboslutely nothing" can only mean you're not paying attention.

Finally after all those years the rural poor are a force to be reconed with, as you would expect in a (country that occasionlly pretends to be a) democracy. The 'yellow' side largely wants to undo all that, even if it means forcing another military coup d'etat.

Oh great, agricultural subsidies. Propping up inefficient and uneconomic primary industries with the tax money of those working efficiently. So how many years can hundreds of billions of baht be lost/stolen before the whole scheme collapses causing untold misery to those supposedly being helped? The answer appears to be less than 3.

It's only a subsidy if the farmers get paid.

[JRSoul]

Niaw seems to understand that subsistence farming and relying on subsidies to make ends meet doesn't work too well in the 21st century. Perhaps you could pass the message along.

[JRSoul]

Oh great, agricultural subsidies. Propping up inefficient and uneconomic primary industries with the tax money of those working efficiently. So how many years can hundreds of billions of baht be lost/stolen before the whole scheme collapses causing untold misery to those supposedly being helped? The answer appears to be less than 3.

It's only a subsidy if the farmers get paid.

The end days are nigh for the rice scam. Even if the farmers do get something now, what happens when the subsidy is dropped and they are forced to sell at market prices with the government trying to get rid of its millions of tons of stock. Yingluk will tell us they all have fat bank balances to tide them over, and they should feel grateful for that, but she has been known to prevaricate when she's not telling lies.

[aussieinthailand]

Yingluk's nic name "poo", or crab ???

I think the writer and editor of this story has a Thai - English spelling problem that could get her into a little hot water (pun intended) if not careful,

should someone take offence to this and do something about it, then the "poo" could hit the fan

Then the author of this story could find themselves eating a "poo" sandwich

or is it that this spelling suits her? which would just show very low class.

According to : Thai-language.com Yingluk's nic name is (bpuu) or crab, not "poo" ...

I just saying

[Mudcrab]

No, it's condescending claptrap. As if those silly hillbillies don't know any better.

> The irony is that the most divisive and outspoken party on the issue of the North

> and agrarian workers' rights (PTP) are the ones who have been in power for years

> and have done absolutely nothing to improve that situation.

Wait, what? Incredible agricultural subsidies are being handed out; everybody disagrees if that was a good idea or not but you can't then ALSO argue that it doesn't amount to something. Same for the minimum wage hike which was as significant as it was LONG over due.

So don't call that nothing; from a PTP electorate point of view, they ARE delivering, as the Shinawatras/TRT/PTP have always done (healthcare for the poor, etc.) Again, the yellow/Dem side were fiercely opposed to that, largely for selfish reasons, but nobody denies that they ARE delivering. "Aboslutely nothing" can only mean you're not paying attention.

Finally after all those years the rural poor are a force to be reconed with, as you would expect in a (country that occasionlly pretends to be a) democracy. The 'yellow' side largely wants to undo all that, even if it means forcing another military coup d'etat.

Oh great, agricultural subsidies. Propping up inefficient and uneconomic primary industries with the tax money of those working efficiently. So how many years can hundreds of billions of baht be lost/stolen before the whole scheme collapses causing untold misery to those supposedly being helped? The answer appears to be less than 3.

I'm not saying otherwise. I was responding to a person who claimed that PTP is not delivering to their base. Clearly they are, in fact TRT/PTP's electoral success is based on delivering on promises, which was a radical departure from the old status quo.

Absolutely can you find fault with each and every one of those policies, but the 'clueless brainwashed country folk' tale doesn't hold up, because for the first time are they seeing a direct relation between their vote and their daily lives. That started with Thaksin. And yes, that also makes for an argument about the 'tyranny of the majority' which is a great discussion to have. But don't call it nothing.

They might be delivering to their base.....but it isn't to the rice farmers. Maybe the base is the middleman - the rice millers. All I hear is how the family gets a better price by NOT selling to the government scheme andselling locally and how the cost of living has gone through the roof. Staples such as eggs and cooking gas for example. I can't say I now know too many red shirt supporters in the village these days. They might be simple people - but they are not idiots.

[seminomadic]

Nice objective, balanced reportage from Ms MacNamara. We need @ssloads more of it here. Keep up the good work.

[metisdead]

An inflammatory post has been removed.

[GregBow]

Lost me. Rice scheme in place for how long?

Sent from my GT-I9082L using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Thainy Tim]

The northeast people are good people, but they have been brainwashed by Thaksin

Amen. This is the key message that needs to be repeated 24/7. Everybody I have spoken to in Bangkok has always said that the people of the North deserve serious investment and improvements in quality of life across the board. The "us against them" rhetoric of the PTP is a fallacy, most ordinary Thais including Democrats, do genuinely want people in the North to have a higher standard of living. The irony is that the most divisive and outspoken party on the issue of the North and agrarian workers' rights (PTP) are the ones who have been in power for years and have done absolutely nothing to improve that situation.

Yes, I'm sure those in the NE will respond well to the accusation they've been brainwashed. You should definitely keep repeating it. As you say, 24/7. Especially at night, where they'll be lying awake, unable to sleep because of the constant yelling: 'Brainwashed! Brainwashed! Stupid! Buffalo! Brainwashed!' They'll be forced to listen, won't they? Don't forget to use a good megaphone because some of the old farmers and their wives up there are hard of hearing, you know. But I'm sure when they do hear your message, they'll rush out with garlands of flowers, thanking you effusively for finally awakening them from their terrible ignorance. Then you shall ride together for Bangkok to defeat the Shinawatra dynasty once and for all!

To say they are brainwashed in the northeast is totally adequate and in no way an insult to the people.

However your interpretation managed to change that into 'unable to sleep because of the constant yelling: 'Brainwashed! Brainwashed! Stupid! Buffalo! Brainwashed'

That only come from one place, and that is your own brainwashed mind.

I really don't know how you expect to be taken as a credible poster with these ludicrous exaggerations. You need professional help. You really do.

I live in the Northeast.... do you?

I know many Thais here and many red shirt supporters the majority who are definitely brainwashed, because they don't make sense when they talk about it.

The other minority red shirt supporters are usually connected to the police in one way or another who fear that a Democrat government will put an end to their corruption. Which were the exact words of my wife's aunt who is very pally with the local chief of police and his immediate underlings (who is on about 2 million baht a month (from let's say.... extra curricular activities).

Her aunt and family through their cronyism with the top red officials and police, enjoy driving around in a fleet of new Mercedes while they can't even afford to pay back a loan to my wife's parents.

The final type of red supporter I have encountered, are those totally apathetic to politics, and are just happy to get the 500 baht, with the attitude... they are all bad anyway so I don't care who I vote for as long as they pay me.

So there you have it... The make up of the typical red shirt voter in the Northeast. From my personal experience.

I am yet to meet one in the almost 9 years here, that I can have a balanced political conversation with and who can actually explain to me a valid and legitimate reason for supporting Thaksin and the PTP.... not a single one.

[MrSlatersParrot]

The northeast people are good people, but they have been brainwashed by Thaksin

Amen. This is the key message that needs to be repeated 24/7. Everybody I have spoken to in Bangkok has always said that the people of the North deserve serious investment and improvements in quality of life across the board. The "us against them" rhetoric of the PTP is a fallacy, most ordinary Thais including Democrats, do genuinely want people in the North to have a higher standard of living. The irony is that the most divisive and outspoken party on the issue of the North and agrarian workers' rights (PTP) are the ones who have been in power for years and have done absolutely nothing to improve that situation.

Yes, I'm sure those in the NE will respond well to the accusation they've been brainwashed. You should definitely keep repeating it. As you say, 24/7. Especially at night, where they'll be lying awake, unable to sleep because of the constant yelling: 'Brainwashed! Brainwashed! Stupid! Buffalo! Brainwashed!' They'll be forced to listen, won't they? Don't forget to use a good megaphone because some of the old farmers and their wives up there are hard of hearing, you know. But I'm sure when they do hear your message, they'll rush out with garlands of flowers, thanking you effusively for finally awakening them from their terrible ignorance. Then you shall ride together for Bangkok to defeat the Shinawatra dynasty once and for all!

To say they are brainwashed in the northeast is totally adequate and in no way an insult to the people.

However your interpretation managed to change that into 'unable to sleep because of the constant yelling: 'Brainwashed! Brainwashed! Stupid! Buffalo! Brainwashed'

That only come from one place, and that is your own brainwashed mind.

I really don't know how you expect to be taken as a credible poster with these ludicrous exaggerations. You need professional help. You really do.

I live in the Northeast.... do you?

I know many Thais here and many red shirt supporters the majority who are definitely brainwashed, because they don't make sense when they talk about it.

The other minority red shirt supporters are usually connected to the police in one way or another who fear that a Democrat government will put an end to their corruption. Which were the exact words of my wife's aunt who is very pally with the local chief of police and his immediate underlings (who is on about 2 million baht a month (from let's say.... extra curricular activities).

Her aunt and family through their cronyism with the top red officials and police, enjoy driving around in a fleet of new Mercedes while they can't even afford to pay back a loan to my wife's parents.

The final type of red supporter I have encountered, are those totally apathetic to politics, and are just happy to get the 500 baht, with the attitude... they are all bad anyway so I don't care who I vote for as long as they pay me.

So there you have it... The make up of the typical red shirt voter in the Northeast. From my personal experience.

I am yet to meet one in the almost 9 years here, that I can have a balanced political conversation with and who can actually explain to me a valid and legitimate reason for supporting Thaksin and the PTP.... not a single one.

Corruption in Thailand is institutionalised.

Through the Patronage system, the main hold over from the feudal system it pervades and I think you are deluding yourself if you think the democrats wish to clear it up. They wish it to endure.

I've not been brainwashed into thinking that Thaksin is the devil incarnate, Hitler's second coming. No he rubs up the established orders the wrong way. No bad thing in my view. He's divisive and he didn't accept his lot and go away quietly but he did a lot for the common man hence his popularity.

Outside of Thailand very few people have ever heard of him.

Our thai friends here and in the UK are no fans of Suthep. They're so phoney.The government may be inept but they're blocked at every turn.Threatened with impeachment from the get go over and over again. Funny the Dems had no such problems but managed to do sweet FA.

[MrSlatersParrot]

Quote of the Day : We are rich and our children are educated in Bangkok

By Bangkok Pundit Nov 27, 2013 12:00PM UTCMany anti-government protesters draw a distinction between themselves and the poor who are fiercely loyal to Thaksin.

“We are rich and our children are educated in Bangkok,” said Nonthapan Suwananon, an anti-government protestor who manages an office. “They are poor, uneducated and have been bought out by Thaksin and his lot.”

BP: This condescension was so evident during the PAD protests towards pro-Thaksin TRT and PPP voters in 2006 and 2008 and also directed at the red shirt protests in 2010. As the Democrats won’t win – this condescension amongst some (many ?) Democrat supporters* also filters up to those in the party and this sense of entitlement means no reform of the party and its policies – is and this is why the conflict continues. They and their supporters* just don’t accept a pro-Thaksin government voted in by the majority….

Says it all really. Succint

[moe666]

No, it's condescending claptrap. As if those silly hillbillies don't know any better.

> The irony is that the most divisive and outspoken party on the issue of the North

> and agrarian workers' rights (PTP) are the ones who have been in power for years

> and have done absolutely nothing to improve that situation.

Wait, what? Incredible agricultural subsidies are being handed out; everybody disagrees if that was a good idea or not but you can't then ALSO argue that it doesn't amount to something. Same for the minimum wage hike which was as significant as it was LONG over due.

So don't call that nothing; from a PTP electorate point of view, they ARE delivering, as the Shinawatras/TRT/PTP have always done (healthcare for the poor, etc.) Again, the yellow/Dem side were fiercely opposed to that, largely for selfish reasons, but nobody denies that they ARE delivering. "Aboslutely nothing" can only mean you're not paying attention.

Finally after all those years the rural poor are a force to be reconed with, as you would expect in a (country that occasionlly pretends to be a) democracy. The 'yellow' side largely wants to undo all that, even if it means forcing another military coup d'etat.

Oh great, agricultural subsidies. Propping up inefficient and uneconomic primary industries with the tax money of those working efficiently. So how many years can hundreds of billions of baht be lost/stolen before the whole scheme collapses causing untold misery to those supposedly being helped? The answer appears to be less than 3.

I'm not saying otherwise. I was responding to a person who claimed that PTP is not delivering to their base. Clearly they are, in fact TRT/PTP's electoral success is based on delivering on promises, which was a radical departure from the old status quo.

Absolutely can you find fault with each and every one of those policies, but the 'clueless brainwashed country folk' tale doesn't hold up, because for the first time are they seeing a direct relation between their vote and their daily lives. That started with Thaksin. And yes, that also makes for an argument about the 'tyranny of the majority' which is a great discussion to have. But don't call it nothing.

They have done the easy stuff handing out tax payer money to mostly farmers who do not need it, the health care plan was actually a Democratic plan that couldn't be rolled out because of the 96-97 financial collapse, land reform was one of Yinglucks programs how many people have gotten title to their land since she came into office, very few if any. The really poor farmers who do not have land or enough land do not qualify for the rice scam