Protesters tell US ambassador to "go home"

[IMA_FARANG]

It may break many Thai hearts but to be honest many Americans don't even know where Thailand is, much less care what Thais think about them.

That shows as much about the ignorance of the average American as well as the arrogance of the Thais who assume that their opinion is somehow of importance to the U.S. government.

It isn't you know.

[ResandePohm]

This ambassador didn't do any of us Americans living here any favors. I fear a painful anti-American backlash, while this fool gets posted elsewhere.

I am afraid you may well be right there.

You dont hear the British, Dutch, Swedish or Mexican ambassadors make such undiplomatic and arrogant comments about the internal affairs of this country.

He is not doing the US any favours.

Asl for these barstool sages who want to cut of all financial assistance to Thailand because they object to their ambassadors comments, whats that for freedom of speech. If I was a Thai I would say go ahead. There are many other nations that would help as well as it leaving the door open for China and Russia to step in. Very stupid reaction from the barstools.

[NovaBlue05]

Remember that the US does not have friends, just interests

Same could be said for pretty much every country. "Friends" are just defined as having mutual interests

[NovaBlue05]

It may break many Thai hearts but to be honest many Americans don't even know where Thailand is, much less care what Thais think about them.

That shows as much about the ignorance of the average American as well as the arrogance of the Thais who assume that their opinion is somehow of importance to the U.S. government.

It isn't you know.

When I tell someone in the US that I was on holiday in Thailand, most assume I mean Taiwan

[micmichd]

USA wanted Thailand to grant civil rights to her people.

Guess civil rights in American standards include the right to demonstrate even if you're wrong with your slogans. Now Thai people used this civil right, so the U.S. Ambassador should be happy.

The question whether it would be better for Thailand if USA (whoever that is) should leave Thailand or not is a completely different issue.

The fact that a famous monk joined the demonstration should also be no problem, it is normal for Western countries that prominent people join demonstrations.

[Bluespunk]

That's exactly right get out but leave our all mighty dollars behind and all our free weapons and military aircraft and cruisers and destroyers that we give this country every single year.

Yeah that would be real good move for Thailand

Sounds like blackmail to me.

Do as we say or we will take away all your naughty war toys.

Not really, just making clear that certain things come with conditions and expectations of behaviour on the part of the recipient.

[alanrchase]

That's exactly right get out but leave our all mighty dollars behind and all our free weapons and military aircraft and cruisers and destroyers that we give this country every single year.

Yeah that would be real good move for Thailand

Sounds like blackmail to me.

Do as we say or we will take away all your naughty war toys.

Not really, just making clear that certain things come with conditions and expectations of behaviour on the part of the recipient.

So it isn't aid then? They are paying for influence?

[Bluespunk]

That's exactly right get out but leave our all mighty dollars behind and all our free weapons and military aircraft and cruisers and destroyers that we give this country every single year.

Yeah that would be real good move for Thailand

Sounds like blackmail to me.

Do as we say or we will take away all your naughty war toys.

Not really, just making clear that certain things come with conditions and expectations of behaviour on the part of the recipient.

So it isn't aid then? They are paying for influence?

Aid?

Both posts I referred to were talking about weapons of war. That doesn't count as aid to me, though I do understand the argument that it could be viewed as such.

However, that said:

Influence? No not really, but countries can decide that if the behaviour of another country is counter to the philosophy of theirs they are entitled to withhold aid.

Whether they should do so is something I'm unsure about {depends on the heinousness of the behaviour I suppose}, but it is the choice of those providing the aid.

Edited November 29, 2015 by Bluespunk

[metisdead]

Posts of off topic or nonsensical nature have been removed.

[Puwa]

The whole thing is a tempest in a teapot, soon to be forgotten. No escalation, no backlash, no injury.

[John Kane]

These idiots have no idea how much aid money US gave Thailand and continues to do so, not only that they help protect Thailand from threats and stability of the country.

These idiots have no idea how much aid money US gave Thailand and continues to do so...

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you don't have any idea either.

Posters in TV are rarely interested in tracking down facts to buttress their arguments. If you had googled, you would have discovered that in 2015 the US allocated a whopping $11 million dollars in aid to Thailand, which, given the size of the US economy, is about the equivalent of tossing a penny. Djibouti and Cape Verde received more, at $13 million and $14 million, respectively.

(Although some aid from various quarters of the US bureaucracy is unavailable, the $11 million figure is the best available data.)

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/politics/aid/140811/charts-us-foreign-aid-requests-2015

The US state department breaks down foreign aid into categories. None of the Thailand aid was in the "democracy, human rights and governance" category. Rather, all the aid was in the "peace and security" category. The largest part of the aid went for "stabilization operations and security sector reform". Obviously this is intended as anti-terrorism money.

Despite the fond delusions of many US citizens (often expressed in this forum), a huge amount of US aid has the purpose of increasing economic gains for the donor. In many cases, the aid is immediately turned around as purchases from US corporations.

I had a close friend (neighbor) in a country that will not be named. He was a long time USAID employee. He was close to tears one time when he told me about one of his projects. The small country was very isolated until Communism fell. For that reason the goat population was highly inbred and they needed new goat gene pools. USAID bought the goats. Of course they had to come from American goat farmers at outrageous prices. Then they flew the goats to XXX at great expense. About half the goats died on the plane trip. It would have been easy to buy goats from neighboring countries and delivery them by truck at less than a tenth the cost. But of course it is actually the American economy that is the real benefactor in all USAID "help" to developing countries. If there is a famine and people are dying food from America will drive in trucks past warehouses full of local food. Those warehouses may be full of food that could be bought locally if the people had the money to buy it. The result is that American food arrives too late to help and many people might die. The local food may rot in the warehouse with no buyers. This is called the issue of entitlement. There is plenty of food in the world but without a job or a healthy economy people stave because they don't have entitlement to food, in other words the money to buy it. Crazy! And people are supposed to love America because of our AID. Nope, it is a little more complicated than that!

[bim]

Looks like they could do with some English lessons.

[DonaldBattles]

The link listed does not come from the US State Department and looks to be highly politicized and of questionable value.

[Howitzer]

They're right. The US should pack up and close its operations in Thailand. Stop spending US taxpayer in and on this trregular nation.

I just love the "if you don't agree with everything about us go home" brigade. Hardly original and mature. These are the anti western everything, except for their western mobile phones, western cars and designer western clothes. Hypocrisy at the highest level.

Just change the protest from USA to China and these 2 here would be supporting it whole sale.

[Beng]

What's wrong with those people ?? All the that ambassador said was " nobody should be jailed for his/her opinion".

Those demonstrating at the US embassy are basically saying " we like to be supressed". TIT.

[micmichd]

What's wrong with those people ?? All the that ambassador said was " nobody should be jailed for his/her opinion".

Those demonstrating at the US embassy are basically saying " we like to be supressed". TIT.

I see two different issues here:

Freedom of opinion and USAID (the conditions that come with it, resp.)

Good to see Thai government did not suppress the freedom of opinion in this case.

The doubtfulness of conditional USAID is not mine to judge, I'm not Thai.

[mrdc]

we should all leave in protest....

[Fritzz]

Let's see who blinks first...

says the bright kid straight out of Ft Rucker flight school to the mountain NNW of Danang - shrouded in haze. His cowboy hat still dangling from the cross years and years on. Spreading democracy all over the world is tricky business and best done with home-county blinkers OFF.

Bon voyage

Fritzz

[jmccarty]

On the trade issue, vice versa!

Malaysia could be a better place to make Fords's, Chevrolet's, Caterpillar Tractors and all of the sub-supplier equipment. They already make a much better BMW and Mercedes Benz than the Thai build.

Edited November 29, 2015 by jmccarty

[lostinisaan]

Looks like they could do with some English lessons.

It looks like a democrazy to me. Or was it a crazy demo? Or maybe both? Colaimmunisation of America. Haaa !!

Time for America to join Europe.

Edited November 29, 2015 by lostinisaan

[WaiLai]

Say what you will regarding the "free world" and the pain and time it took those countries to achieve some modicum of that status.

However, never try to convince those that live in a "freer world" that the current Thailand comes even close to having begun to start on this painful and time intensive ambition.

You might ask yourself instead "What do I do each day to further the cause of freedom and democracy?"

.... and be honest about the sum total of what you have done

If you haven't done anything yet to further enhance the likelihood of freedom and democracy throughout the world then ask yourself "why haven't I?" and seek someone who can help you help others in reaching these noble goals.

Edited November 29, 2015 by WaiLai

[micmichd]

we should all leave in protest....

Why?

A demonstration against US government is not necessarily a demonstration against American people.

If you're a free American and worked for your money you should have the right to offer Thailand to contribute to her economy, regardless of what your government thinks about "appropriate aid" for this beautiful country.

[LuckyNo4]

"Around 200 people turned up to a protest today"

I thought political gatherings of 5 people or more were illegal? I suppose the right kind of protesting is allowed though.

[WaiLai]

"Around 200 people turned up to a protest today"

I thought political gatherings of 5 people or more were illegal? I suppose the right kind of protesting is allowed though.

Well Lucky, you may have underscored the very shallowness of sincerity in what can be found in the "Happiness Harpie" and his minions!

[selftaopath]

Why the US always needs to open their mouth and start interfering in local affairs of other countries? How many more civil wars do they want to create?

It's not easy being the only world superpower.

[gemguy]

Why the US always needs to open their mouth and start interfering in local affairs of other countries? How many more civil wars do they want to create?

Exactly. The USA meddles everywhere on earth, (following the historical example of Britain, and other empires before them) and is viewed as a bully by many. Why can't we just mind our own business when it has nothing to do with national interests, and sometimes even when it does! It's fine to set a political or cultural example of a way of life you think is superior, but keep it in your own borders, and let other peoples adopt it FREELY, if they like. But too often in the past 100 years our "way of life" has been offered at the point of a gun. People in many countries are just fed up with this, and I suspect many Thais are as well.

BTW, some people on this board constantly complain about the concept of so-called "Thainess;" good or bad, at least Thais keep it in their own yard...much worse is the concept of "American Exceptionalism," a colossally arrogant notion that presumably gives USA the license to interfere around the world.

Have any of these so-called leaders of the free world ever read a history book to see how this always turns out???

Why does the USA meddle in so many other countries affairs.

If you want to start learning the truth as to why and or how they can meddle and or interfere and or intervene in any other countries national matters then simply look up all the internet information about the Rothschild's dynasty and read everything about that financial dynasty and everything entailed and all that they have been responsible for in the past and at present.

You will come to learn the USA, in the past and at present was and presently is, more or less, a tool or a proxy for the Rothschild's controlled financial dominance of the world.

Behind the scenes there are immensely powerful and influential people and entities that use the USA ( amongst other countries ) as their means to manipulate and control other countries through financial means including creating strife with in those countries or regions and eventually wars that are very profitable.

Look it up and you will begin to understand what they do.......behind the scenes ...and why they do what they do.

Cheers

[micmichd]

Why the US always needs to open their mouth and start interfering in local affairs of other countries? How many more civil wars do they want to create?

It's not easy being the only world superpower.

What do you think makes a country a superpower? And why should USA be the only one?

[WaiLai]

Why the US always needs to open their mouth and start interfering in local affairs of other countries? How many more civil wars do they want to create?

It's not easy being the only world superpower.

On any balance sheet their are a gains column and a loss column.

Are you perhaps suggesting that if China or Russia were to take the place of the USA, that the gains column would outweigh the loss column?

Perhaps you are suggesting that neither China nor Russia would interfere in another country's affairs?

What are you suggesting by the way?

[WaiLai]

That's exactly right get out but leave our all mighty dollars behind and all our free weapons and military aircraft and cruisers and destroyers that we give this country every single year.

Yeah that would be real good move for Thailand

Sounds like blackmail to me.

Do as we say or we will take away all your naughty war toys.

Not really, just making clear that certain things come with conditions and expectations of behaviour on the part of the recipient.

yes, it is very difficult for some juntas and megalomaniacs to not cry foul when they can't abide by the rules of the democratic sandbox.

[micmichd]

Why the US always needs to open their mouth and start interfering in local affairs of other countries? How many more civil wars do they want to create?

It's not easy being the only world superpower.

On any balance sheet their are a gains column and a loss column.

Are you perhaps suggesting that if China or Russia were to take the place of the USA, that the gains column would outweigh the loss column?

Perhaps you are suggesting that neither China nor Russia would interfere in another country's affairs?

What are you suggesting by the way?

Neutrality.