OVERDRIVE
Amazing events signal end days for government
Thanong Khanthong

Thailand is living up to its billing as "amazing". And the sky is falling fast. Let's consider the events that are turning Amazing Thailand upside down:

_ The outcome of the February 2 poll shows that voters did not want the election in the first place.

_ On the other hand, the US, the EU and the UN want a Thai election more than the Thai people do.

_ The rice price-pledging scheme has seen Pu take the cash while the farmers get a paper document.

_ Thai farmers are the now richest in the world. They are creditors to the tune of Bt1.1 billion, while the government is the debtor.

_ Farmers grow rice so that the government can burn it behind warehouse doors (to destroy evidence of corruption).

_ The government has 18 million tonnes of rice in its stockpiles. It won't sell the rice, which is going rotten, but is instead scrambling to borrow Bt130 billion to pay the farmers.

_ The rice price pledge is a shining example of Asean cooperation. Farmers from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia bring their paddy into Thailand to get the cash, leaving the Thai farmers with bai prathuan (the rice-pledging document).

_ Kittiratt Na Ranong, the deputy prime minister and finance minister, is jeered and booed by farmers over his failure to give them a definite answer as to when the government will pay them the money owed under the scheme. The angry farmers resort to throwing oranges and water bottles at him. Kittiratt has to run away. The whole nation witnesses the spectacular moment when Kittiratt retreats faster than a bank run at the Government Savings Bank.

_ Farmers are killing themselves because they can't get the money from the government. The government says these victims are "fake farmers".

_ The Government Savings Bank (GSB) says it has money to help the farmers, but it does not have the money to return to its depositors.

_ The GSB wants to lend money to the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) who will pass it on to the farmers. But now the GSB might need to borrow money from the BAAC.

_ SC Park Hotel, owned by the Shinawatra family, pays Luang Pu Buddha Issara, a monk and key protest leader, and his entourage of farmers Bt120,000 in a bid to stop them checking into the hotel. This is the first time in the history of the hospitality industry that a hotel has paid a potential customer to stay away.

_ Thaksin thinks. Pu gives the order. Chalerm screws it up.

An army of farmers is on its way to Bangkok for a face-off with Yingluck Shinawatra. A Black Hawk is standing by to fly her away.


-- The Nation 2014-02-21

Oh, how painful is the truth?

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This is about much bigger things than politics, and the anti-democratic 'Yellow Shirts' have played their hand brilliantly as they tightened the noose around a democratically elected government. I just worry about the repercussions...

Dear brother,

Please make the bed up on the spare room, I will be there shortly.

Lots if love and thank you 3 times

Pu

P.S. have lots of people say they want to come too!

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

From the OP :-

"Thai farmers are the now richest in the world. They are creditors to the tune of Bt1.1 billion, while the government is the debtor."

If only it were "Bt 1.1 billion", as mis-stated here, rather than B130-billion-ish !

Oh, and the new irrigated-crop is already in-the-ground/mud, up here in the North-West, so there will be plenty-more-rice where the previous lot came from, coming soon to an over-stuffed government-owned/leased warehouse near you !

_ On the other hand, the US, the EU and the UN want a Thai election more than the Thai people do.

yeah blame these pesky farang,

the guy who wrote this article is totally nuts.

Good news for TAT, they can now run a campaign on ' Come to Thailand and Watch a Government Collapse '.

Suthep may win this battle eventually, but the war hasn't even started.

1000 Suthep sponsored farmers on their way to Bangkok, but millions of farmers at home knowing exactly what is going on.

If Suthep gets his people council, it will mean civil war for Thailand.

The Army knows it and that's why they're not pushing Suthep over the finish line.

Amazing? Amazing how much of this 'editorial' (I think) is total nonsense. It would be helpful if news articles are identified as editorials and not 'news' on TVF.

Suthep may win this battle eventually, but the war hasn't even started.

1000 Suthep sponsored farmers on their way to Bangkok, but millions of farmers at home knowing exactly what is going on.

If Suthep gets his people council, it will mean civil war for Thailand.

The Army knows it and that's why they're not pushing Suthep over the finish line.

Are you really aware of what is going on?

The PTP have ripped off the very people that supported them into power, the genie is out the bottle. Thaksin and Yingluck are finished, hopefully the other cronies will be gone to, very soon.

The suitcases are being packed, and the private plane fueled up.

Keep posting the tired old lie of sponsors farmers, fake farmers, small numbers of protestors etc.

Your employer has been totally outmanouvered, and his arrogance and disrespect for law and the people has got him there.

The farmers should have been paid months ago, they weren't. Now they are pretty angry. The whole scheme was a joke, a bit like the people who continue to try and defend it. The Army has no reason do anything, as Chalerm has pretty much managed to screw everything up.

This is about much bigger things than politics, and the anti-democratic 'Yellow Shirts' have played their hand brilliantly as they tightened the noose around a democratically elected government. I just worry about the repercussions...

Have you been asleep for the last 10 years

wakey Wakey

The yellow shirts are not the main party here

they may have joined in

but these are The people of Thailand protestors

many issan people are part of the protest and they hate the yellow shirts

Sorry I am stupid thinking you where living in Thailand

are you missing you last beer bar holiday ?

This is about much bigger things than politics, and the anti-democratic 'Yellow Shirts' have played their hand brilliantly as they tightened the noose around a democratically elected government. I just worry about the repercussions...

Have you been asleep for the last 10 years

wakey Wakey

The yellow shirts are not the main party here

they may have joined in

but these are The people of Thailand protestors

many issan people are part of the protest and they hate the yellow shirts

Sorry I am stupid thinking you where living in Thailand

are you missing you last beer bar holiday ?

I agree with you there. Not the first part but the second.

Dear brother,

Please make the bed up on the spare room, I will be there shortly.

Lots if love and thank you 3 times

Pu

P.S. have lots of people say they want to come too!

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

In the (very unlikely) event that turned out to be the case, if I were you I'd worry more about those left behind and their likely response rather than the narrow focus on just a few...but that issue seems lost on the lunatic fringe obsessed with the Shin family

Suthep may win this battle eventually, but the war hasn't even started.

1000 Suthep sponsored farmers on their way to Bangkok, but millions of farmers at home knowing exactly what is going on.

If Suthep gets his people council, it will mean civil war for Thailand.

The Army knows it and that's why they're not pushing Suthep over the finish line.

Are you really aware of what is going on?

The PTP have ripped off the very people that supported them into power, the genie is out the bottle. Thaksin and Yingluck are finished, hopefully the other cronies will be gone to, very soon.

The suitcases are being packed, and the private plane fueled up.

Keep posting the tired old lie of sponsors farmers, fake farmers, small numbers of protestors etc.

Your employer has been totally outmanouvered, and his arrogance and disrespect for law and the people has got him there.

The farmers should have been paid months ago, they weren't. Now they are pretty angry. The whole scheme was a joke, a bit like the people who continue to try and defend it. The Army has no reason do anything, as Chalerm has pretty much managed to screw everything up.

The rice scheme worked for the past 3 years without problems. Farmers got paid every year on time until Suthep and his militia came along.

The farmers are not stupid, they know what's going on.

You'll see what I mean when Suthep gets his way.

This is about much bigger things than politics, and the anti-democratic 'Yellow Shirts' have played their hand brilliantly as they tightened the noose around a democratically elected government. I just worry about the repercussions...

Have you been asleep for the last 10 years

wakey Wakey

The yellow shirts are not the main party here

they may have joined in

but these are The people of Thailand protestors

many issan people are part of the protest and they hate the yellow shirts

Sorry I am stupid thinking you where living in Thailand

are you missing you last beer bar holiday ?

I wonder if there will be the nice day in which you will make a post where you can expose your idea without insulting the poster you are referring to.

Believe me, a little of manner would make no harm, really.

After the 1st 2 lines, I did not need to read on further. BlueSky talking here. We get it already, 'Thaksin mai dee'. Anyone defending either the Shinawatra clan or Suthep's movement is part of the problem. Those people may want to look at what's happening in Kiev right now. But then, they probably won't be able to put one and one together. The only thing that gives me hope is that most Thai I speak with are fed up with all this bullshit on both sides. Can we have anyone politically represent this real majority please?

Well, that sums up the PAD-Dem-Coupmonger view of the world.

When the current election is completed and tabulated, we will see the view of the electorate.

It will be interesting to see if they are in sync.

This is about much bigger things than politics, and the anti-democratic 'Yellow Shirts' have played their hand brilliantly as they tightened the noose around a democratically elected government. I just worry about the repercussions...

Have you been asleep for the last 10 years

wakey Wakey

The yellow shirts are not the main party here

they may have joined in

but these are The people of Thailand protestors

many issan people are part of the protest and they hate the yellow shirts

Sorry I am stupid thinking you where living in Thailand

are you missing you last beer bar holiday ?

I wonder if there will be the nice day in which you will make a post where you can expose your idea without insulting the poster you are referring too.

Believe me, a little of manner would make no harm, really.

I'm sick of these insulting trolls, too.

Discussions are not fun anymore with these kind of comments every few posts. And they have no real value, they're just the same old blah blah Thaksin, blah blah Dubai, blah blah Shinawatra, blah blah vote buying ...

You could go away for a few days and come back and jump right back in without having missed anything.

Dear brother,

Please make the bed up on the spare room, I will be there shortly.

Lots if love and thank you 3 times

Public

P.S. have lots of people say they want to come too!

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

hi

In the (very unlikely) event that turned out to be the case, if I were you I'd worry more about those left behind and their likely response rather than the narrow focus on just a few...but that issue seems lost on the lunatic fringe obsessed with the Shin family

...."the lunatic fringe obsessed with the Shin family".... Hmmm...that's the first time I've heard PTP and their red klingons called that, but whatever floats your boat....

"I'm leaving on Jet Plane, don't know when I'll be back again"

After the 1st 2 lines, I did not need to read on further. BlueSky talking here. We get it already, 'Thaksin mai dee'. Anyone defending either the Shinawatra clan or Suthep's movement is part of the problem. Those people may want to look at what's happening in Kiev right now. But then, they probably won't be able to put one and one together. The only thing that gives me hope is that most Thai I speak with are fed up with all this bullshit on both sides. Can we have anyone politically represent this real majority please?

It's typical brainwashing.

I am just surprised to see so many foreigners fall for it.

Most of my Thai friends don't care who is in power, but they all agree that an elected government should serve its time and after 4 years if not popular anymore, they get voted out.

Kiev is what Thailand will become soon,

Up in Isaan for a visit and they are planting sticky rice for personal eating, rather than jasmine rice for sale. They have tried eating the government IOU's, but they are not tasty or filling.

The names Yingluck or Thaksin are greeted by laughter, not of the joyous kind and every time an aircraft is heard overhead the comment is "There goes Yingluck to Cambodia" with a bit of hope in the way it is said.

I have no idea how all this is going to play out though I am getting asked regularly. When the rice scam first started I advised the family to plant plenty to take advantage of the scheme while they could, but not to take any loans out based on the scheme being available long term. They are now one of the few families in the village without new scooters/pickups/big TV etc, also the ones not looking over their shoulder for the debt collector. Sadly economics is relatively simple as figures do not lie, only the people who use them lie. Thai politics is a minefield.

Hopefully it all ends without to much more bloodshed and whatever the new arrangement is they go back to being happy to the 30% lost to corruption rather than the higher percentage being gouged at the moment.

Cheers

Amazing? Amazing how much of this 'editorial' (I think) is total nonsense. It would be helpful if news articles are identified as editorials and not 'news' on TVF.

A request to mods: Please make it clear if you are posting an editorial as a news item. Editorials are an expression of the newspaper's views on the subject, not news. I have no objection to editorials being posted as log as it is clear what it is.

Quote of the day so far:-

Thaksin thinks. Pu gives the order. Chalerm screws it up

Most amazing news is how much the Courts and Media have exposed their allegiences out in the open.

This is desperate days for the Coup now. They are pannic stricken and every item in their news is co-ordinated.

Did anybody see that an army hit team in Naratiwas was arrested for murder. Shot to men dead, but whilst escaping in a pick up truck they crashed into a police car. and were arrested fleeing the scene.....

Does not fit in with Thai Meda, but everybody else who read it - was released at 1:00am in order that it be buried - is commenting on the press role in all this.

Reason for 1:00am release is that they can claim they reported it!!! Amazing indeed.

What they now know is that if they can't get Yingluck out, they will have strengthened her!! If suthep fails, they are really in the cart.

Post using misspelt name removed, as well as some replies.

Brilliant OP

Suthep may win this battle eventually, but the war hasn't even started.

1000 Suthep sponsored farmers on their way to Bangkok, but millions of farmers at home knowing exactly what is going on.

If Suthep gets his people council, it will mean civil war for Thailand.

The Army knows it and that's why they're not pushing Suthep over the finish line.

Are you really aware of what is going on?

The PTP have ripped off the very people that supported them into power, the genie is out the bottle. Thaksin and Yingluck are finished, hopefully the other cronies will be gone to, very soon.

The suitcases are being packed, and the private plane fueled up.

Keep posting the tired old lie of sponsors farmers, fake farmers, small numbers of protestors etc.

Your employer has been totally outmanouvered, and his arrogance and disrespect for law and the people has got him there.

The farmers should have been paid months ago, they weren't. Now they are pretty angry. The whole scheme was a joke, a bit like the people who continue to try and defend it. The Army has no reason do anything, as Chalerm has pretty much managed to screw everything up.

The rice scheme worked for the past 3 years without problems. Farmers got paid every year on time until Suthep and his militia came along.

The farmers are not stupid, they know what's going on.

You'll see what I mean when Suthep gets his way.

I'll take it as an acceptance of defeat by one Thaksin fanboy, shall I?

The rice scheme worked for the past 3 years without problems. Farmers got paid every year on time until Suthep and his militia came along.

The farmers are not stupid, they know what's going on.

You'll see what I mean when Suthep gets his way.

"worked for the past 3 years without problems."

Started in October-2011, payment-delays/defaults started summer-2013, I make that just two years ?

And payment-delays/defaults started, months before the popular protests after the Amnesty-Bill, didn't they ?

I would agree that after PM-Yingluck called the election & they became a caretaker-government, things got worse, but that was down to poor planning and preparation for being in caretaker-mode, which restricted their ability to find other sources-of-finance to supplement the inadequate-budget once it had been spent-up.

Over-reliance on 'white lie' reassurances, and wobbly G2G 'sales' of rice-stocks, may well also have contributed to the scheme's cashflow-crisis.