Thai northeast vows poll payback to Shinawatra clan

[diehard60]

This is better then a bank. You can bet big and win big on this. As it will deffinitely happen.

[brewsterbudgen]

money money money money can't see the wood for the trees money money money money money money money money can't see the wood for the trees money money money money money money money money can't see the wood for the trees money money money money money money money money can't see the wood for the trees money money money money can't see the wood for the trees money money money money trees money money money money money money money money can't see the wood for the trees money money money money money money money money can't see the wood for the trees money money money money

So money's not important to you?

Of course it is. I don't worship it. I don't kill for it. I don't steal for it. I have ethics and morals.

So everyone living in the North East of Thailand is killing and stealing and has no ethics or morals?

[PREM-R]

Brainwashed into believing that any positive development in their area is a result of Thaksin and PTP.

Or perhaps they had been lied to by other political parties for decades and got no investment in their areas but then Thaksin came along, said he would do something, and did it. No brain washing required, they just look around them and see what a difference Thaksin governments have made to their lives.

Nice thought but total BS, even a dummy can see that over the last few years the reds have been fed on lies and BS so Thaksin can get his way.

"Nice thought but total BS,...."

Well actually, no, not BS, just my observations of what I have seen over the 11 years that I have lived in Isaan

[Mr Yim]

I seriously wonder if some of the posters have ever lived in a two political party democracy before. It seems that many think Thaksin has a monopoly on corruption, vote buying etc etc. With few exceptions, all politicians are corrupt. Governments are formed with smaller proportions of the vote than the PTP, just look at the UK where more often than not the governing party receives around 40% of the vote. Look at the United States where the two parties spend around 1 Billion dollars each to fight elections, make promises to voters (to buy their vote). The same in the UK but not on such a grand scale. Favours are done for supporters. <deleted> David Camerons hairdresser received a new years honour.

Before Suthep took to stage my sympathies lay with the Democrats. However, his continual rantings and the ignorant, arrogant posts by his supporters, have completely turned my view around. I am just looking forward to day Suthep, his middle aged ladies and his "rent a mob" have nowhere to go and the country can get back to normal.

[Crushdepth]

"Even in Isaan some farmers now grumble about late payments for rice delivery, but so far there are few signs of a mass defection from the Shinawatras".

Written by someone who has no idea what is going on.

Written by someone who has no idea what is going on.

I work with small-scale farmers (agricultural extension) and have done so for 15 years. If you think the farmers are "happy" about not being paid you're completely disconnected from the reality.

Edited January 31, 2014 by Crushdepth

[chinostar]

It is utterly sad to see that a "Buddhist" nation like Thailand is full of hatred against each other.

The retorics of both sides are based on hate speeches, without any awareness that we all are inter-connected to and need each other. The farmers are so needed for our food, the business people are needed to sell, the cleaners to keep our houses clean, the ....etc. ect.

Democracy is just a mind set, but in Thailand the meaning became a weapon to accuse each other and justify unjust actions.

Sad, sad, sad.

Thailand has drifted away from Buddhism, compassion and respect.

[crazykopite]

I would love to see how much Suthep and his elitist friends payed in taxes last year nobody wants to pay taxes worldwide but it is requirement to keep the country afloat . Greece had a problem collecting taxes and look wher it got them in the average corner shop through out Thailand if you tried to purchase an item with a debit card they would laugh at you they want cash and nothing else even my local true visions shop rejects my offer to pay my bill by debit card by saying the machine is down or broken.

[firestar]

Funny they should mention a poor shopkeeper eking out a living with the extra 300 dollars and the gleaming new mansions in the same article. I wonder who are the ones staying in the new mansions and buying the new cars from the car showrooms.

And it's typical AFP bias on this article, they mention the grenade and shooting attacks but purposely leave out the part where it is the protestors who are the ones getting attacked, They of course remembered to write about the red shirt leader who got shot and lived while ignoring the protest leader who didn't.

Yeah AFP bias, BBC bias, American bias... Michael Yon even comparing the BBC to pravda

Lucky for us the beacon of unbiased reporting The Nation reports it right, correct?

[Spalpeen]

Brainwashed into believing that any positive development in their area is a result of Thaksin and PTP.

.

Naked racist contempt for the rural people of Thailand. Very surprised to see a ThaiVisa moderator 'liking' a comment that sneers at the intelligence of millions of Thai people. Very surprised indeed.

[LukKrueng]

Brainwashed into believing that any positive development in their area is a result of Thaksin and PTP.

Or perhaps they had been lied to by other political parties for decades and got no investment in their areas but then Thaksin came along, said he would do something, and did it. No brain washing required, they just look around them and see what a difference Thaksin governments have made to their lives.

Sure he did. He promised to buy the rice off their hands for 30% more than the market value, and he did. only he forgot to say they wont be paid...

and he helped them get cheaper loans, convincing them they SHOULD borrow. and they did. and bought new cars, built new homes, only now they can't pay it back coz the loans didn't generate any income - well, it actually generated more income, but not to the borrowers, ummmm.

And he also promised them that if they buy NEW cars they'll get up to 100K THB back - and they went and took MORE loans, to buy NEW cars which they CAN'T afford, and soon after got the cars being repossessed...

He promised every child a computer back in 2005. no 1 remembers coz no1 got it.

to promise is EASY

[klauskunkel]

Somsamai said her family eked out a living until receiving a $300 micro-loan in 2006, courtesy of a fund established in every village by Thaksin.

She has also benefited from a landmark "30 baht" (one dollar) scheme bringing access to healthcare to all.

Such policies, dubbed "Thaksinomics", have boosted the fortunes of many in Thailand's long-neglected north and northeast.

Another successful policy is not mentioned at all:

Vote Buying. Vote for Thaksin and receive 300baht. That really changed Issan's reality: corruption stays in power unchecked, while the Issan voter can kill more brain cells with cheap whisky. Everybody wins.

Edited January 31, 2014 by metisdead
Large font reset to normal.

[thesetat2013]

Brainwashed into believing that any positive development in their area is a result of Thaksin and PTP.

.

Naked racist contempt for the rural people of Thailand. Very surprised to see a ThaiVisa moderator 'liking' a comment that sneers at the intelligence of millions of Thai people. Very surprised indeed.

So what you are saying now is that the millions of thai with their great intellect thinks its ok when someone steals from them and lies to them and cheats them. All of this is ok as long as they help you a little with a loan and cheap medical care. Even if it means that person will rape your goods and your land will have to be sold at auction leaving you more poor in the future??? Wow! I wish i was rich to be the man to help you all in the north. Just think what my kids will own by the time i die.

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Edited January 31, 2014 by thesetat2013

[samuidave]

Wonder how many rice farmers are in agreement?

Given the very poor turnout to the PDRC's marches across the north and east, not many farmers believe it is the government that is the problem here (a couple of photos from the last farmer stories I can find on Thai visa). I think the article is pure wishful thinking.

They know what the problem is, PDRC might think they're stupid, but they watch TV. So when this PDRC guy below starts spouting that 300000 voices in Bangkok are worth 15 million votes in the provinces, they know how much these PDRC yobs value them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xtcvkWAMWo

What a shill.

It is pretty clear that the message from the PDRC was that 300,000 voices in Bangkok were supported by 15 million more people in the provinces ALSO GETTING SCREWED.

As for voicing ones complaint in the provinces, I know in the Chiang Rai area people are literally scared of speaking out, but I also heard whistles being blown in the village when the main stage rally was hosted.

I think everyone, if given the complete picture, would understand the Shinawatra clan / regime's inherent corruption from top to bottom. But being disinformed, exactly like how you are skewing the message, is the reason there are any followers at all of that most selfish of men.

[citizen33]

Wasn't the 30 Baht Healtrhcare program initiated by the Democrats?

No, the reform plan was opposed by the Chuan Leekpai government as unaffordable. This came as a considerable disappointment to a small group of senior experts in the MoPH who by about 2000 had devised a blueprint for a universal health coverage scheme, with funding channelled through primary care and capitation-based funding, though at that stage with no 30 baht co-payment. Paradoxically, many of the civil servants and medical professionals involved were natural Democrat supporters but they were unable to overcome the affordability argument, which seemed plausible in the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, and also faced opposition from conservative elements who thought UHC would damage the private medical care sector (also affected badly by the recession).

However, a window of opportunity opened when the late Dr Sanguan Nittayarompong, a leading member of the pro-reform group in the MoPH, formed an alliance with Dr Surapong Suebwonglee, one of the main figures in TRT's health policy team. The two had been rural doctors together in Sisaket province and their personal dynamic was enough to get the other Ministry experts, who were initially suspicious of TRTs motives, on board to assist in the planning of the 30 baht project. You may remember that the policy slogan '30 baht cures all diseases' was countered with the retort from the Democrat side that '30 baht kills people with all diseases' Anyway the rest is history. There was a campaign of opposition to the reforms and arguably an attempt by the pro-Democrat press to highlight its teething problems, but it had become so popular by 2006 that the post-coup technocratic government abolished the 30 baht co-payment (trying to de-couple teh scheme from the TRT brand mark) and gave the universal coverage scheme its full support.

Dr Thaksin did not play a central role in policy development, but was content to let Surapong take the lead, even though he was nominally the junior Minister in Sudarat's Public Health Ministry. Thaksin did intervene personally in 2002 when Surapong's authority was challenged by a conservative group in the MoPH who were trying to water down the reforms. He endorsed Supapong's position as boss of the 'war room' driving the reforms, but as a compromise with the conservatives, let them pull a lot of funding that had gone to distant provinces back to central region. Thereafter many pro-reformers in the Ministry became frustrated because they perceived that the TRT cabinet were unwilling to go beyond reform of healthcare finances to introduced the wider ranging health care reforms of governance structures, public participation and so on that they had hoped to see. So within Ministry and NHSO circles there were few who loved Thaksin or who saw him as the architect of the reforms. Yet he did provide the window of opportunity that made them possible.

Many people were involved in designing the universal coverage reforms, but probably the real architect is this man:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KurA2_OcOJA‎

This is not the first time I have posted this information, but the TVF myth about the Democrats and 30 baht healthcare persists. If you believe you can tell the story in a

different way I would be interested to see it posted.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KurA2_OcOJA‎

[gemini81]

Brainwashed into believing that any positive development in their area is a result of Thaksin and PTP.

.

Naked racist contempt for the rural people of Thailand. Very surprised to see a ThaiVisa moderator 'liking' a comment that sneers at the intelligence of millions of Thai people. Very surprised indeed.

Racist? Same country, same nationality. Can't you do any better than the overuse of the trendy 'you racist' nonsense?

[samuidave]

Funny they should mention a poor shopkeeper eking out a living with the extra 300 dollars and the gleaming new mansions in the same article. I wonder who are the ones staying in the new mansions and buying the new cars from the car showrooms.

And it's typical AFP bias on this article, they mention the grenade and shooting attacks but purposely leave out the part where it is the protestors who are the ones getting attacked, They of course remembered to write about the red shirt leader who got shot and lived while ignoring the protest leader who didn't.

Yes, that is obvious BS of the type you can read on the New Mandala website written by left wing Australian anthropologists who understand sweet FA about economics. As if a loan of about B9,000 could transform a villager's life and allow her to build a new house. No mention of the fact that the largest new houses in the villagers are typically built with farang money.

It is true that some of the policies have been helpful but none of it would have been possible without a strong tide in SE Asia that has lifted all boats, however poorly constructed.

The rice pledging scheme needs more examination by these financially illiterate journalists. In order to benefit from the scheme, you need to have surplus rice to sell. For a one crop per year Isaan family that meets that you need on average more than 10-12 rai. Yet many farmers have less than that and a lot have no land of their own at all and have to rent which means they have to share their production with the land owner. Nevertheless those who don't make the cut and have no benefit from the scheme still adore Thaksin and his red shirt bully boys.

The government default on the rice purchased is more shocking still. Isaan farmers who have already mortgaged their land to BAAC have to borrow from loan sharks at 20% a month. So, if they are paid after 5 months, they remain in debt because the government payment is only enough to pay off the interest. Many are now already wiped out. Hence the reports of suicides.

YOU ARE COMPLETELY lost when it comes to politics. Or you are an awful good student of American styled rhetoric. The New Mandela is anything but left-leaning when it comes to Thailand. It is grey propaganda, often waving the left flag but uttering the right's message. You simply got conned by it.

[Spalpeen]

Brainwashed into believing that any positive development in their area is a result of Thaksin and PTP.

.

Naked racist contempt for the rural people of Thailand. Very surprised to see a ThaiVisa moderator 'liking' a comment that sneers at the intelligence of millions of Thai people. Very surprised indeed.

Racist? Same country, same nationality. Can't you do any better than the overuse of the trendy 'you racist' nonsense?

.

I'm pretty certain that most, probably all, of the people making and liking this comment are not the same nationality as the people they are sneering at. White middle aged westerners looking down on Asian farmers. You would know this if you had ever been to Thailand.

[DLock]

If they do vote PTP back in, then I reserve the right to not care about the Farmers plight ever again.

That's all.

[rickirs]

Brainwashed into believing that any positive development in their area is a result of Thaksin and PTP.

Oh, and what was the positive development for these people during the Democrat regime? It's always simple to say people were "brainwashed" than to admit your party's political principles and policies were failures to gain wide spread support of the public. Easier to say the public is just dumb and easily swayed by lies.

[firestar]

Is the poster has less than 300 posts, more than likely, it will be pro PT/Thaksin/Red Shirt.

If 1,000 and more post, it will be critical of PT and Thaksin

I suspect we have a lot of new posters who get paid to spread a pro-PT and pro-Thaksin view.

Look at the three post above yours and the one after, some with as little as 20 posts. Not red.

But in a twist of irony, you're displaying the same kind of snobbism here on TV, rural Thais have been complaining of in every day life for years. That the "haves" know better and the "have nots" are paid. Congrats on unwillingly illustrating the root of the problem.

.

Edited January 31, 2014 by firestar

[samuidave]

"Even in Isaan some farmers now grumble about late payments for rice delivery, but so far there are few signs of a mass defection from the Shinawatras".

Written by someone who has no idea what is going on.

Written by someone who has no idea what is going on.

Written by someone who should know what is going on, but doesn't.

[BlueNoseCodger]

Wonder how many rice farmers are in agreement?

Given the very poor turnout to the PDRC's marches across the north and east, not many farmers believe it is the government that is the problem here (a couple of photos from the last farmer stories I can find on Thai visa). I think the article is pure wishful thinking.

They know what the problem is, PDRC might think they're stupid, but they watch TV. So when this PDRC guy below starts spouting that 300000 voices in Bangkok are worth 15 million votes in the provinces, they know how much these PDRC yobs value them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xtcvkWAMWo

What a shill.

It is pretty clear that the message from the PDRC was that 300,000 voices in Bangkok were supported by 15 million more people in the provinces ALSO GETTING SCREWED.

As for voicing ones complaint in the provinces, I know in the Chiang Rai area people are literally scared of speaking out, but I also heard whistles being blown in the village when the main stage rally was hosted.

I think everyone, if given the complete picture, would understand the Shinawatra clan / regime's inherent corruption from top to bottom. But being disinformed, exactly like how you are skewing the message, is the reason there are any followers at all of that most selfish of men.

What a shill, he says the 15 million voices have no quality, literall the word means quality or value. In English we'd phrase as "worthless'

So this man is saying 300,000 voice have value and 15 million in the provinces are worthless.

Oh and if you wonder where the 15 million comes from, its the voters for PT at the last election. Saying their votes don't count! (he wishes)

Edited January 31, 2014 by BlueNoseCodger

[Cuchulainn]

money money money money can't see the wood for the trees money money money money money money money money can't see the wood for the trees money money money money money money money money can't see the wood for the trees money money money money money money money money can't see the wood for the trees money money money money can't see the wood for the trees money money money money trees money money money money money money money money can't see the wood for the trees money money money money money money money money can't see the wood for the trees money money money money

So money's not important to you?

Of course it is. I don't worship it. I don't kill for it. I don't steal for it. I have ethics and morals.

So everyone living in the North East of Thailand is killing and stealing and has no ethics or morals?

And when did I say that?

[firestar]

So this man is saying 300,000 voice have value and 15 million in the provinces are worthless.

Oh and if you wonder where the 15 million comes from, its the voters for PT at the last election. Saying their votes don't count! (he wishes)

Yep, that's Seri, the same man, yellow shirt darling who took the stage on the 12th of January (as reported by foreign journalist and BP) and said:

12:45 at Asoke protest stage, protest leader Seri Wongmontha veers into anti-foreigner rant. "Do they think we're stupid?" (Cont'd)

"It's proven ppl w/ yellow skin are smarter than ppl w/ white skin... Thais who study abroad get better marks than their classmates."

Expand

"They think they're better than us." This rant was inspired by an interview w/ a farang journalist this morning. Guess it went poorly?

Expand

Edited January 31, 2014 by firestar

[brewsterbudgen]

And when did I say that?

Both your posts implied it. Otherwise why bother making them?

[godwish4love]

The Trut

[dominique355]

Is the poster has less than 300 posts, more than likely, it will be pro PT/Thaksin/Red Shirt.

If 1,000 and more post, it will be critical of PT and Thaksin

I suspect we have a lot of new posters who get paid to spread a pro-PT and pro-Thaksin view.

Look at the three post above yours and the one after, some with as little as 20 posts. Not red.

But in a twist of irony, you're displaying the same kind of snobbism here on TV, rural Thais have been complaining of in every day life for years. That the "haves" know better and the "have nots" are paid. Congrats on unwillingly illustrating the root of the problem.

.

Of course I am a snob, but that's not the point.

The point is, am I getting paid to post here or not. I am not. But I suspect many new posters are. Compliments Mr. Amsterdam.

And I am not Thai, so hardly the root of the problem.

[godwish4love]

The Truth is bitter, if you look deeply in what guys said about Thaksin, you will really know how Thaksin is a gift to this poor people, life is full of tragedy.

[Publicus]

"Even in Isaan some farmers now grumble about late payments for rice delivery, but so far there are few signs of a mass defection from the Shinawatras".

Written by someone who has no idea what is going on.

Written by someone who has no idea what is going on.

I work with small-scale farmers (agricultural extension) and have done so for 15 years. If you think the farmers are "happy" about not being paid you're completely disconnected from the reality.

The statement you quoted said the farmers were NOT going to vote against PTP et al. Both the quote and you indicated "some farmers" now grumble about late payments. Now in your reply immediately above you expand to use the word "happy" to reiterate the mood of the farmers presented in the statement you quote. The statement essentially says no "mass defections."

You might want to leave this where it is now because you're getting convoluted in addition to already being obtuse.

[firestar]

Is the poster has less than 300 posts, more than likely, it will be pro PT/Thaksin/Red Shirt.

If 1,000 and more post, it will be critical of PT and Thaksin

I suspect we have a lot of new posters who get paid to spread a pro-PT and pro-Thaksin view.

Look at the three post above yours and the one after, some with as little as 20 posts. Not red.

But in a twist of irony, you're displaying the same kind of snobbism here on TV, rural Thais have been complaining of in every day life for years. That the "haves" know better and the "have nots" are paid. Congrats on unwillingly illustrating the root of the problem.

.

Of course I am a snob, but that's not the point.

The point is, am I getting paid to post here or not. I am not. But I suspect many new posters are. Compliments Mr. Amsterdam.

And I am not Thai, so hardly the root of the problem.

You illustrated the root of the problem by dismissing those who don't share your opinion or have a lower post count as paid.

And you're still doing it now.