Yingluck using state funds to woo voters: Dems

[Zolt]

Meanwhile, former Democrat deputy leader Alongkorn Ponlaboot (@alongkornpb) tweeted that he was sticking with the Democrat Party after rumours were heard that he was planning to defect to Chart Thai Pattana for not being elected as a party executive.

Alongkorn is not too popular in the Democrat ranks right now. He's the guy who keeps pushing silly ideas like "We should actually try to propose popular policies to win voter over instead of just bitching about Thaksin and his vote-buying", or "reform ourselves before we reform the country." , you know, useless stuff like that.

[BlueSkyCowboy]

Sounds like America with Obama using the 747 and support as personal vehicles. That helps to fool the sheeple and the brainless, same thing, I guess.

[sawadeeken]

Same as her big brother, Taksin..................... Same, Same................

[Wombat6]

She does not have to use state funds, as the Shinawatra family has enough of their own funds to use.

Oh Yeah !! What do you think the Rice Pledging scheme is all about ??

[thaiguzzi]

Where are you PTP supporters when the thread is about that gigantic failure the all mighty rice scam.

I am a PTP supporter, and i agree the mighty rice scam is a gigantic failure. Happy?

[Poryai ChaAm]

SICHONSTEVE... though decidedly off topic... there are another set of numbers that refute your sunshiney outlook on the Korn/Abhisets meteoric saving of the Thai economy in 2010 as follows

......

Abhisit was formally endorsed by King Bhumibol Adulyadej as Prime Minister on 17 December 2008. Key appointments in Abhisit's government included PAD leader Kasit Piromya as Foreign Minister, construction tycoon Chaovarat Chanweerakul as Interior Minister, and investment banker and former Abhisit classmate Korn Chatikavanij as Finance Minister.[67] Massage parlor tycoon Pornthiva Nakasai was appointed Deputy Commerce Minister.

Abhisit's government saw unemployment increase by 63 percent.[68] Thailand's government budget went into deficit for the first time since 2003. By 2010, the government's debt had bloomed and reached -4.8% of GDP, the largest budget deficit since the government of Chuan Leekpai.[69] To help the people, Abhisit subsidized the price of diesel, LPG cooking gas, and household electricity. Public bus and train rides were provided for free.[70] {NOTE: But only in Bangkok}

Large-scale fighting erupted several times between Thai and Cambodian troops near Preah Vihear, leaving dozens dead. The Thai military admitted to using cluster munitions in the conflicts. The Southern Thailand insurgency worsened, and Abhisit's government was condemned by several international human rights groups for the routine and systematic torture of suspected insurgents.[71] Thailand's military budget reached its highest level in over a decade.[72] {NOTE: payback...?}

Abhisit's information and communications technology (ICT) policy included increased censorship of Internet sites the government considered deemed offensive to the monarchy, cancellation of 3G 2.1 gigahertz spectrum license auctions, and larger budgets for government-owned TOT.[73][74]...blah blah blah

...now granted there are different criteria and citation sources in different camps for assessing and evaluating the numbers.. my guess is that it falls somewhere in the middle... but hardly what you cite as the best growth since 1995. I am neither pro red nor pro yellow nor pro any color... I am pro truth... something that seems exceedingly elusive... and only reflective of the particular spin it is given and/or the power that the spinners may have at their disposal..so the real question becomes... who owns the media here and who validates the dissemination of known "FACTS" that are frequently bandied about as truth... Cheers!

[whybother]

SICHONSTEVE... though decidedly off topic... there are another set of numbers that refute your sunshiney outlook on the Korn/Abhisets meteoric saving of the Thai economy in 2010 as follows

......

Abhisit was formally endorsed by King Bhumibol Adulyadej as Prime Minister on 17 December 2008. Key appointments in Abhisit's government included PAD leader Kasit Piromya as Foreign Minister, construction tycoon Chaovarat Chanweerakul as Interior Minister, and investment banker and former Abhisit classmate Korn Chatikavanij as Finance Minister.[67] Massage parlor tycoon Pornthiva Nakasai was appointed Deputy Commerce Minister.

Abhisit's government saw unemployment increase by 63 percent.[68] Thailand's government budget went into deficit for the first time since 2003. By 2010, the government's debt had bloomed and reached -4.8% of GDP, the largest budget deficit since the government of Chuan Leekpai.[69] To help the people, Abhisit subsidized the price of diesel, LPG cooking gas, and household electricity. Public bus and train rides were provided for free.[70] {NOTE: But only in Bangkok}

Large-scale fighting erupted several times between Thai and Cambodian troops near Preah Vihear, leaving dozens dead. The Thai military admitted to using cluster munitions in the conflicts. The Southern Thailand insurgency worsened, and Abhisit's government was condemned by several international human rights groups for the routine and systematic torture of suspected insurgents.[71] Thailand's military budget reached its highest level in over a decade.[72] {NOTE: payback...?}

Abhisit's information and communications technology (ICT) policy included increased censorship of Internet sites the government considered deemed offensive to the monarchy, cancellation of 3G 2.1 gigahertz spectrum license auctions, and larger budgets for government-owned TOT.[73][74]...blah blah blah

...now granted there are different criteria and citation sources in different camps for assessing and evaluating the numbers.. my guess is that it falls somewhere in the middle... but hardly what you cite as the best growth since 1995. I am neither pro red nor pro yellow nor pro any color... I am pro truth... something that seems exceedingly elusive... and only reflective of the particular spin it is given and/or the power that the spinners may have at their disposal..so the real question becomes... who owns the media here and who validates the dissemination of known "FACTS" that are frequently bandied about as truth... Cheers!

Do you have any idea what the global economy was doing around 2008?

[alanferdi]

Yingluck using state funds to woo voters

OK. So nothing has changed over the last 2 1/2 years then.

Hmmm, in the footsteps of elephants! wasnt it also an attempt of a guy call Mr. T who ran out of the country. Oh... the advisor Mr. T! what!!!! the ventriloquist Mr. T`? speaking using a dummy....wow tremendous show!

[Valentine]

Nobody seemed to mind when it was "Yingluck uses State funds to go on shopping trips" but now to "woo voters" is just terrible!

There many posts as well as news stories complaining about shopping trips. Wooing voters using state funds is another issue & for some to condone it because it has been done before does not make it right. Hopefully the future of this country does not reflect the rape & pillage scenario from the past. The people deserve much better.

[Poryai ChaAm]

."""whybother""".... Can you even focus on what I was contesting...? the source of his claims...I think not... but recently the price of some tea in China isas follows XM tea with super quality is 5600 yuan(approximate 1000 dollar)per kg.However,XM tea with worst quality is 900 yuan(approximate 130 dollar)per kg,so it is hard to say the interval of price of tea. (facepalm) I knew I should never have responded...

Edited December 20, 2013 by Poryai ChaAm

[Monkeyrobot]

Looks like a last ditch attempt by a desperate party acting like children because there not getting all the candy. You know there desperate when they start picking on a 10 year old boy because he mother is in power. I have read a seen some low acts in the fast few days from Suthep & his gang.

[Emdog]

Pres/PM "X" using state funds to woo voters

We call that "politics". Be it a fact finding mission or bridge to nowhere in Alaska or whatever. Been going on as long as there have been voters, for the purposefully ignorant. #1 job of elected government in power is to stay in power, and wooing voters is how you do it. Side note: Bush used 747 so he could go cut brush in Crawford.... is that better? JFK was killed when he went to Dallas to try to woo voters in anticipation of 64 election. Wake up and smell the coffee!

[brianP]

Can they rent out the White House for votes and money?

[SICHONSTEVE]

SICHONSTEVE... though decidedly off topic... there are another set of numbers that refute your sunshiney outlook on the Korn/Abhisets meteoric saving of the Thai economy in 2010 as follows

......

Abhisit was formally endorsed by King Bhumibol Adulyadej as Prime Minister on 17 December 2008. Key appointments in Abhisit's government included PAD leader Kasit Piromya as Foreign Minister, construction tycoon Chaovarat Chanweerakul as Interior Minister, and investment banker and former Abhisit classmate Korn Chatikavanij as Finance Minister.[67] Massage parlor tycoon Pornthiva Nakasai was appointed Deputy Commerce Minister.

Abhisit's government saw unemployment increase by 63 percent.[68] Thailand's government budget went into deficit for the first time since 2003. By 2010, the government's debt had bloomed and reached -4.8% of GDP, the largest budget deficit since the government of Chuan Leekpai.[69] To help the people, Abhisit subsidized the price of diesel, LPG cooking gas, and household electricity. Public bus and train rides were provided for free.[70] {NOTE: But only in Bangkok}

Large-scale fighting erupted several times between Thai and Cambodian troops near Preah Vihear, leaving dozens dead. The Thai military admitted to using cluster munitions in the conflicts. The Southern Thailand insurgency worsened, and Abhisit's government was condemned by several international human rights groups for the routine and systematic torture of suspected insurgents.[71] Thailand's military budget reached its highest level in over a decade.[72] {NOTE: payback...?}

Abhisit's information and communications technology (ICT) policy included increased censorship of Internet sites the government considered deemed offensive to the monarchy, cancellation of 3G 2.1 gigahertz spectrum license auctions, and larger budgets for government-owned TOT.[73][74]...blah blah blah

...now granted there are different criteria and citation sources in different camps for assessing and evaluating the numbers.. my guess is that it falls somewhere in the middle... but hardly what you cite as the best growth since 1995. I am neither pro red nor pro yellow nor pro any color... I am pro truth... something that seems exceedingly elusive... and only reflective of the particular spin it is given and/or the power that the spinners may have at their disposal..so the real question becomes... who owns the media here and who validates the dissemination of known "FACTS" that are frequently bandied about as truth... Cheers!

Do you have any idea what the global economy was doing around 2008?

The Year 2010 at a Glance

The Thai economy displayed a strong recovery despite facing several negative

factors throughout the year, including uncertainties in the global economic recovery,

domestic political unrest, exchange rate volatility and occurrences of natural disaster. Strong

economic fundamentals, together with accommodative fiscal and monetary policies entailed

an economic expansion of 7.8 percent, characterized by robust growth rates in export,

tourism and domestic demand.

? Political unrest during April to May had limited impacts on economic activities, with

an exception for the tourism sector being the most affected. Nevertheless, the number of

foreign tourists in 2010 increased to a new historical record due to a rapid recovery after

the incident subsided.

? Farm income increased in line with crop prices due to damages of agricultural

production caused by natural disasters. This rising farm income supported domestic

consumption.

? The fiscal sector remained supportive as indicated by the amount in the ordinary

budget, additional finance under the Strong Thailand Project, as well as the living cost

reduction measures such as subsidies in the energy and utility sectors.

? Financial Institutions Policy Committee (FIPC) imposed additional regulatory measures

on housing loans to encourage financial institutions to be more prudent on granting

housing loans as the housing market, especially the condominium sector, expanded

buoyantly in 2010.

? Inflation rates, from a negative territory last year, turned positive as a result of the

continued economic expansion and rising costs in both raw material and wages. This

caused producers to gradually increase their prices.

? The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) began to reduce accommodative stance since

July to rebalance the economy as risks to inflation heightened while risks to growth

became moderate. The MPC raised the policy rate 3 times in 2010, totaling 0.75

percentage points, to 2.00 percent per annum at the end of the year.

? The Thai baht appreciated in line with the regional currencies due to large capital

inflows, as a result of different growth prospects between major industrialized countries,

having weak economic conditions and accommodative monetary policies, while regional

countries including Thailand having strong economic fundamentals. Despite exchange rate

appreciation, Thailand’s export values grew robustly by 28.5 percent, reflecting resiliency

of the export sector.

[diehard60]

"she was putting other political parties at a disadvantage by using the state funds and resources at her disposal to visit provinces and campaign for votes."

I just love this. And in the last paragraph of the article all politicians get money from the government to campaign. How can a future member of the government lie in the same breath. Oppps. Sorry suthep does all the time. Ane when is he going to go to court to face charges of MUDER???????????????????????

[diehard60]

She does not have to use state funds, as the Shinawatra family has enough of their own funds to use.

They will not use their own money,when they can get the Government to

use populist polices,loose the peoples tax money,to ensure they win again,

and think up more stupid polices to finally bankrupt the country.

regards Worgeordie

I do not believe the country is bankrupt as you suggest. And when people are going to the polls and are competing for a position in the governement they get funds from the government to do this. Some people even register just to get the money and then only use a little of it and keep the rest. Like many dems in the north and hoertheast do.

[JRSoul]

Where are you PTP supporters when the thread is about that gigantic failure the all mighty rice scam.

I am a PTP supporter, and i agree the mighty rice scam is a gigantic failure. Happy?

So you're happy with corrupt and inept, nepotism and criminal MPs, and a fugitive criminal making policy to enrich himself?

[thaiguzzi]

Where are you PTP supporters when the thread is about that gigantic failure the all mighty rice scam.

I am a PTP supporter, and i agree the mighty rice scam is a gigantic failure. Happy?

So you're happy with corrupt and inept, nepotism and criminal MPs, and a fugitive criminal making policy to enrich himself?

No i am not. Just stating the rice scam (and it is a scam) is a failure. So the Dems, and Suthep have not been corrupt, inept, do not have nepotism, criminal mps, mps making policies to enrich themselves (palm oil scam anybody?) etc etc. My, i've got a lot to learn. Kettle. Black. etc.

[whybother]

No i am not. Just stating the rice scam (and it is a scam) is a failure. So the Dems, and Suthep have not been corrupt, inept, do not have nepotism, criminal mps, mps making policies to enrich themselves (palm oil scam anybody?) etc etc. My, i've got a lot to learn. Kettle. Black. etc.

"The other side is just as bad" is not a very good reason to support corruption.

[thaiguzzi]

This is SE Asia mate, it aint ever going away. Not in my lifetime or yours. Even ultrasonic clean Singapore has it to a certain extent.

[whybother]

This is SE Asia mate, it aint ever going away. Not in my lifetime or yours. Even ultrasonic clean Singapore has it to a certain extent.

Well, it won't go away when people support it.

[Maha Sarakham Marty]

She does not have to use state funds, as the Shinawatra family has enough of their own funds to use.

Not according to the sworn asset declarations Yingluck has signed.

[Maha Sarakham Marty]

Looks like a last ditch attempt by a desperate party acting like children because there not getting all the candy. You know there desperate when they start picking on a 10 year old boy because he mother is in power. I have read a seen some low acts in the fast few days from Suthep & his gang.

How many of them were lies such as "they start picking on a 10 year old boy" ?

[khunken]

Where are you PTP supporters when the thread is about that gigantic failure the all mighty rice scam.

I am a PTP supporter, and i agree the mighty rice scam is a gigantic failure. Happy?

So you're happy with corrupt and inept, nepotism and criminal MPs, and a fugitive criminal making policy to enrich himself?

No i am not. Just stating the rice scam (and it is a scam) is a failure. So the Dems, and Suthep have not been corrupt, inept, do not have nepotism, criminal mps, mps making policies to enrich themselves (palm oil scam anybody?) etc etc. My, i've got a lot to learn. Kettle. Black. etc.

Yes, you are right except for the nepotism and there was no law changes to benefit their leader Chuan Leekpai. And you seem to support the two wrongs making a right notion.

Corruption has worsened considerably - check out the latest transparency tables - in recent years so isn't it about time that a real effort is made to at least curtail it. Politics here is dysfunctional.

Having said that, what YL is accused of in the Op is small potatoes compared to what her government did and what they will do again if nothing is done about corruption here.

[khunken]

Looks like a last ditch attempt by a desperate party acting like children because there not getting all the candy. You know there desperate when they start picking on a 10 year old boy because he mother is in power. I have read a seen some low acts in the fast few days from Suthep & his gang.

How many of them were lies such as "they start picking on a 10 year old boy" ?

Yes, the old effort to make a lie 'history' by repetition.

Of course her son was chosen 'democratically' to lead the Chelsea team on to the pitch no long ago. A good parent would keep their children away from the limelight when they themselves are very much in it.

[fab4]

She does not have to use state funds, as the Shinawatra family has enough of their own funds to use.

She doesn't have to, but it appears that she is.

So this essentially means she's travelling as caretaker PT rather than prospective candidate? Surely though she is still PM so gets security and travel provided by state funds? Would like to know the rules on this and whether the Democrats did the same during the last election. Of course trying to use the civil service and interior min to your advantage is something done in every election, as is using state owned TV. Not saying it's right, in fact it obviously isn't, but it'd again be singling PT out for something everyone else has done to make too much of this.

She can travel for "state" purposes and have security as care-taker PM. What she can't do is campaign while she is doing that.

But, as usual, the OP doesn't actually go into detail about what she is supposed to have done.

Your words

"But, as usual, the OP doesn't actually go into detail about what she is supposed to have done."

flys in the face of your previous post stating

"She doesn't have to, but it appears that she is."

Do you normally base your posts on hearsay from a dem party MP - are they still MP's, I thought they resigned? Actually, I think I know the answer to that one............

[whybother]

Your words

"But, as usual, the OP doesn't actually go into detail about what she is supposed to have done."

flys in the face of your previous post stating

"She doesn't have to, but it appears that she is."

Do you normally base your posts on hearsay from a dem party MP - are they still MP's, I thought they resigned? Actually, I think I know the answer to that one............

You must have missed the title:

Yingluck using state funds to woo voters: Dems

Based on the title, it appears that she is using state funds, but the OP doesn't state what she is supposed to have done.

It also appears that you are trolling.

Edited December 20, 2013 by whybother

[ginjag]

Your words

"But, as usual, the OP doesn't actually go into detail about what she is supposed to have done."

flys in the face of your previous post stating

"She doesn't have to, but it appears that she is."

Do you normally base your posts on hearsay from a dem party MP - are they still MP's, I thought they resigned? Actually, I think I know the answer to that one............

You must have missed the title:

Yingluck using state funds to woo voters: Dems

Based on the title, it appears that she is using state funds, but the OP doesn't state what she is supposed to have done.

It also appears that you are trolling.

Also on the usage of state funds, in most countries these are used to fund overseas visits, BUT in our ladies case she has outdone most PM/Presidents/etc in the world. The point being no one is monitoring how much is spent, Thailand should have had a body to curtail the amount of trips-to me this is another abuse of power and money.

[ginjag]

Your words

"But, as usual, the OP doesn't actually go into detail about what she is supposed to have done."

flys in the face of your previous post stating

"She doesn't have to, but it appears that she is."

Do you normally base your posts on hearsay from a dem party MP - are they still MP's, I thought they resigned? Actually, I think I know the answer to that one............

You must have missed the title:

Yingluck using state funds to woo voters: Dems

Based on the title, it appears that she is using state funds, but the OP doesn't state what she is supposed to have done.

It also appears that you are trolling.

Also on the usage of state funds, in most countries these are used to fund overseas visits, BUT in our ladies case she has outdone most PM/Presidents/etc in the world. The point being no one is monitoring how much is spent, Thailand should have had a body to curtail the amount of trips-to me this is another abuse of power and money.

Just to add, the number of persons on average getting free trips along with her over and above the norm.

[Mackie]

Also on the usage of state funds, in most countries these are used to fund overseas visits, BUT in our ladies case she has outdone most PM/Presidents/etc in the world. The point being no one is monitoring how much is spent, Thailand should have had a body to curtail the amount of trips-to me this is another abuse of power and money.

Just to add, the number of persons on average getting free trips along with her over and above the norm.

Spot on. The entourage following her is probably the biggest in the world. No accountability, no responsibility, no transparency. Those incompetent fools are running the whole country into the ground. The only thing they will be remembered for is the massive losses they made. Unfortunately, a Thai tax payer will have to foot the bill once again. All those mislead poor souls in rural Thailand will pay through their noses.