Brewing political Crisis in Thailand

[ThaiFox]

1 hour ago, KingsX said:

 

I read that people in developing countries “cannot afford to follow small clubs”.

 

They go through life struggling to make ends meet and avoid the depredations of over-powerful, corrupt authorities.  Like anyone else, they follow a club to be part of something bigger.  They are going to choose something that shows power over its rivals, and every chance of coming out on top.  There’s no pleasure in following an underdog which may steal some bones from the big dogs -- but eventually must roll over and submit -- when it’s already the story of your life.

 

This would explain why Spuds don’t have traction either.  If they can eventually establish themselves as financial equals in a true Big Six, that would change.

I know it is classed as one, but I'm not sure I would class Thailand as a developing country anymore!...the exchange rate of 40 baht to the pound (it was 76 baht to the pound when I first came here in 2002) makes it more expensive than the UK for lots of things. They are building really decent roads and motorways everywhere. Old bangers are fast disappearing and being replaced by BMW's and Mercedes. We live in the country and last year a huge BWM dealership opened about 2 miles away, and a BMW out here is more than twice the price of the UK.

 

But you are right about following smaller clubs. It's a prestige thing, like wearing gold. The more gold you wear the higher society you are. Following a team like Leicester City offers no prestige. Following Man Ure, Chelski, Liverpool or Arsenal makes a statement. It's also strange that I rarely see Manchester City tops being worn out here. Maybe they haven't won enough yet! As for Spuds, I honestly can't remember the last time I saw a Thai person wearing one! So you can see they have some standards!!

 

 

[Arkie Bennett]

Interesting that today's pitchside adverts say "King Power, Thailand's first and largest duty free".

[SiameseFox]

On 08/02/2019 at 07:10, ThaiFox said:

Thaksin & Yingluck were much loved out here, bringing a lot of wealth and employment to the country, including  the very poor. It was the Bangkok political class out here who demonstrated to get them out, hence military rule out here.

You couldn't have been more wrong. They were extremely corrupt populists who took advantage of poor people, they did more harm to the country than good. Many of those who wanted them out (me included) never wanted a military government, but it seemed like better option at the time than the fake democracy government without checks and balances. In retrospect, I admit I was wrong about that, but trust me Thaksin and Yingluck are not much better. 

[Burgh foxes 01]

You ungrateful brain dead ,if the Thais pull out what then ,

[Burgh foxes 01]

Thai fox ,we go Pattaya every October ,where are you m8

[SiameseFox]

On 08/02/2019 at 07:10, ThaiFox said:

If she does stand and wins, I would have thought it would help King Power, especially as our owners were given a royal name by the late King Bhumibol and Vichai was given the equivalent of a state funeral after his terrible accident. The current PM has stated King Power's monopoly will end after the current contract.

I didn't read all the pages, but as of now she can't run anymore. I wouldn't worry about King Power either way though. They have many friends. Vichai was known in Thailand as someone who's very diplomatic, he wasn't really friends with Thaksin, but with everyone. Years ago, protesters were fighting in Bangkok (pro Thaksin and his opposition), King Power opened their hotel for both sides to stay for free. Of course, they were friends with the military as well after they took power. Remember the PM (leader of the military government) led the chanting at Vichai's funeral. I can't see election result affecting King Power at all, King Power's monopoly will end regardless of who's in power, which is probably why they're now investing a lot more in real estate.

[ThaiFox]

9 hours ago, SiameseFox said:

You couldn't have been more wrong. They were extremely corrupt populists who took advantage of poor people, they did more harm to the country than good. Many of those who wanted them out (me included) never wanted a military government, but it seemed like better option at the time than the fake democracy government without checks and balances. In retrospect, I admit I was wrong about that, but trust me Thaksin and Yingluck are not much better. 

Not sure if you are Thai or not, or where you live in Thailand, but I can say from all the Thai people I know who in the countryside areas, like us, Thaksin & Yingluk were much loved. The Bangkok elite who hated them protested to the extent they closed the airport. Then they got military government which have brought in many laws and taxes which have hit the poorer and they have proved very unpopular with the Bangkok elite who from what I hear from my lady actually preferred the Yingluk government and regretted their decision to protest. Corruption is rife in Thailand and whoever has been in power has been investigated over corruption. The current military government have spent billions of Baht on military equipment and the new high speed rail links they propose have been costed at around ten times the Yingluk figure, but as protests are now banned out here it will go through without investigation.

 

 

9 hours ago, SiameseFox said:

I didn't read all the pages, but as of now she can't run anymore. I wouldn't worry about King Power either way though. They have many friends. Vichai was known in Thailand as someone who's very diplomatic, he wasn't really friends with Thaksin, but with everyone. Years ago, protesters were fighting in Bangkok (pro Thaksin and his opposition), King Power opened their hotel for both sides to stay for free. Of course, they were friends with the military as well after they took power. Remember the PM (leader of the military government) led the chanting at Vichai's funeral. I can't see election result affecting King Power at all, King Power's monopoly will end regardless of who's in power, which is probably why they're now investing a lot more in real estate.

I have already stated she could not run after the King ruled, and now the electorial commission are still deciding if the party she stands for (Thai Raksa Chart Party) can actually run at all. There has been no decision on that as of yet.

 

As for King Power. They were granted the monopoly for Duty Free in Thailand until 2020, under the Thaksin government. I have never said Vichai was a personal friend, but that it was Thaksin's party who granted King Power their monopoly licence. The current military P/M has stated their monopoly will end next year, My mentioning that the Thai Raksa Chart Party could be better for King Power is based on the fact that as they are attached to Thaksin in some way, and they may have granted them another monopoly licence, although of course that is all speculation.

 

Vichai was very diplomatic, and that reflects in the special name granted to him by the late King. I am sure he had many associates from all sides of the political spectrum, which would be very sensible in any business venture.

[SiameseFox]

 

2 hours ago, ThaiFox said:

Not sure if you are Thai or not, or where you live in Thailand, but I can say from all the Thai people I know who in the countryside areas, like us, Thaksin & Yingluk were much loved. The Bangkok elite who hated them protested to the extent they closed the airport. Then they got military government which have brought in many laws and taxes which have hit the poorer and they have proved very unpopular with the Bangkok elite who from what I hear from my lady actually preferred the Yingluk government and regretted their decision to protest. Corruption is rife in Thailand and whoever has been in power has been investigated over corruption. The current military government have spent billions of Baht on military equipment and the new high speed rail links they propose have been costed at around ten times the Yingluk figure, but as protests are now banned out here it will go through without investigation.

 

 

I have already stated she could not run after the King ruled, and now the electorial commission are still deciding if the party she stands for (Thai Raksa Chart Party) can actually run at all. There has been no decision on that as of yet.

 

As for King Power. They were granted the monopoly for Duty Free in Thailand until 2020, under the Thaksin government. I have never said Vichai was a personal friend, but that it was Thaksin's party who granted King Power their monopoly licence. The current military P/M has stated their monopoly will end next year, My mentioning that the Thai Raksa Chart Party could be better for King Power is based on the fact that as they are attached to Thaksin in some way, and they may have granted them another monopoly licence, although of course that is all speculation.

 

Vichai was very diplomatic, and that reflects in the special name granted to him by the late King. I am sure he had many associates from all sides of the political spectrum, which would be very sensible in any business venture.

 

I am Thai living in Leicester. I assume you live in the north or northeastern areas. They support Thaksin there and people with opposing views know to shut up. It would be like being a Trump supporter in California, you can't be verbal about it. If you go down south in the countryside there, you'll get very different opinions about the guy. While it's true corruption in Thailand is common, no one was nearly as bad as Thaksin. He earned majority of his wealth (billions of pounds) during his administration. He didn't care about the poor, he pretended to be anti-establishment, while he was in fact the richest of them all. I remember hardly anyone could say anything negative about Thaksin then, many in the media opposing him were threatened and had to flee the country. It wasn't unlike military government, but he took power with money instead of guns. 

[ThaiFox]

3 minutes ago, SiameseFox said:

 

 

I am Thai living in Leicester. I assume you live in the north or northeastern areas. They support Thaksin there and people with opposing views know to shut up. It would be like being a Trump supporter in California, you can't be verbal about it. If you go down south in the countryside there, you'll get very different opinions about the guy. While it's true corruption in Thailand is common, no one was nearly as bad as Thaksin. He earned majority of his wealth (billions of pounds) during his administration. He didn't care about the poor, he pretended to be anti-establishment, while he was in fact the richest of them all. I remember hardly anyone could say anything negative about Thaksin then, many in the media opposing him were threatened and had to flee the country. It wasn't unlike military government, but he took power with money instead of guns. 

No, we don't live in the north or north east, we are near Rayong. Although I know Thaksin & Yingluk had huge support in the north & north east.

 

Between them they did win landslide election victories. The political elite of Bangkok were the ones who protested over Thaksin. If they were allowed to stand in the election here in March they would win comfortably. 

 

I must say since Yingluk was deposed, you are the first Thai person I have heard compare the Shinawatra's with the military government! 

 

The areas where it is a similar situation with Trump, is that the political elite dislike Trump, and the media loathe him too. But the people vote for him.

 

Where it differs is there are many more anti Trump supporters than anti Thaksin. The next election in America will see another very close result, much more so than would be out here if Thaksin or Yingluk were allowed to stand. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SiameseFox]

15 minutes ago, ThaiFox said:

No, we don't live in the north or north east, we are near Rayong. Although I know Thaksin & Yingluk had huge support in the north & north east.

 

Between them they did win landslide election victories. The political elite of Bangkok were the ones who protested over Thaksin. If they were allowed to stand in the election here in March they would win comfortably. 

 

I must say since Yingluk was deposed, you are the first Thai person I have heard compare the Shinawatra's with the military government! 

 

The areas where it is a similar situation with Trump, is that the political elite dislike Trump, and the media loathe him too. But the people vote for him.

 

Where it differs is there are many more anti Trump supporters than anti Thaksin. The next election in America will see another very close result, much more so than would be out here if Thaksin or Yingluk were allowed to stand. 

 

Excellent choice. Rayong is much better than the north/northeast 

 

Yes, it was pretty much like military government for people who didn't support him. I believe the English term is tyranny of the majority, in the US they have electoral college to prevent this, but in many countries like Thailand, majority always win. Thaksin's populism is the result of this, he would come up with policies that on paper make the poor richer or make short-term economic a bit better, but plunge the country/people deeper into debts in the long run. This always ensures landslide victory given the numbers of poor people in Thailand, and that also means he gets almost complete control of the parliament (no electoral college equivalent), and the few oppositions that he had, some could be bought. That's how we ended up with elected dictatorship. People felt the need to fight outside the parliament because they were not fairly represented. That was when it became class conflict as well, people started to think poor people are stupid and short-sighted and poor people think people disagreeing with Thaksin are elites who don't care for them. 

 

Having said that, I don't really blame Thaksin's supporters though, they vote Thaksin and they are somewhat instantly gratified. I sure can't convince people to think about long-term benefits when they're now struggling to put food on the table. Politicians must do more to tackle poverty in a lasting way otherwise Thaksin will always win. 

 

 

 

[ThaiFox]

2 hours ago, SiameseFox said:

Excellent choice. Rayong is much better than the north/northeast 

 

Yes, it was pretty much like military government for people who didn't support him. I believe the English term is tyranny of the majority, in the US they have electoral college to prevent this, but in many countries like Thailand, majority always win. Thaksin's populism is the result of this, he would come up with policies that on paper make the poor richer or make short-term economic a bit better, but plunge the country/people deeper into debts in the long run. This always ensures landslide victory given the numbers of poor people in Thailand, and that also means he gets almost complete control of the parliament (no electoral college equivalent), and the few oppositions that he had, some could be bought. That's how we ended up with elected dictatorship. People felt the need to fight outside the parliament because they were not fairly represented. That was when it became class conflict as well, people started to think poor people are stupid and short-sighted and poor people think people disagreeing with Thaksin are elites who don't care for them. 

 

Having said that, I don't really blame Thaksin's supporters though, they vote Thaksin and they are somewhat instantly gratified. I sure can't convince people to think about long-term benefits when they're now struggling to put food on the table. Politicians must do more to tackle poverty in a lasting way otherwise Thaksin will always win. 

 

 

 

And an excellent choice by you for choosing Leicester as your place to live in England!

 

The Thai military PM, Prayut, has put in place a safety net, where any party winning an election has to work with the current P/M to stop any chance of a Thaksin style dictatorship happening again.

 

It's not really democracy, but it does give the people a chance to show their feelings and pretend they are listened too. Much like UK politics really, and much like the brexit vote.

 

And as for buying the peoples vote, I'm sure you are aware the military have thrown billions of Baht at the north east in order to buy their favour and votes and stop a Thaksin type party winning again? Always a winning formula! 

 

Again, like the UK, political parties promise everything but actually deliver very little to real people.

 

 

[ThaiFox]

Just a quick political update from over here.

 

The party (Thai Raksa Chart) the Princess was going to stand for has now been officially dissolved because of her involvement. Any postal votes which have already been cast have been disqualified.

 

No real surprise after the King's intervention. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[urban.spaceman]

That’s happening now then @ThaiFox? Everywhere’s reporting confusion over here...

[ThaiFox]

5 hours ago, urban.spaceman said:

That’s happening now then @ThaiFox? Everywhere’s reporting confusion over here...

It's just as confusing over here.

 

The results have been announced, but with no actual figures.

 

There are claims of massive 'over voting' in some regions, where more votes have been counted than actual constituents!

 

There is confusion over votes being cancelled because they were cast 'incorrectly' with the X being not neat enough, or to big or small! 

 

Also, some claims that political parties had their votes cancelled for no apparent reason.

 

There are claims the turnout was over 85%, but counted votes show only 60/65%. 

 

All in all, I'm betting the military will be in charge again with Prayut back as PM. (The new election rules the military put in place had them as winners whatever the outcome!)

 

I'll update as further information becomes clearer, but that may take a few days....weeks.....months!!

 

Brexit is much simpler!!

[fuchsntf]

Brewing crisis in Thailand....what the fvck have we got with bursting kegs in Britain with Brexit...

[Bluetintedspecs]

[Spudulike]

2 hours ago, ThaiFox said:

It's just as confusing over here.

 

The results have been announced, but with no actual figures.

 

There are claims of massive 'over voting' in some regions, where more votes have been counted than actual constituents!

 

There is confusion over votes being cancelled because they were cast 'incorrectly' with the X being not neat enough, or to big or small! 

 

Also, some claims that political parties had their votes cancelled for no apparent reason.

 

There are claims the turnout was over 85%, but counted votes show only 60/65%. 

 

All in all, I'm betting the military will be in charge again with Prayut back as PM. (The new election rules the military put in place had them as winners whatever the outcome!)

 

I'll update as further information becomes clearer, but that may take a few days....weeks.....months!!

 

Brexit is much simpler!!

So, if your bet is right, what does that mean for King Power (and ultimately us) ??

[urban.spaceman]

2 hours ago, ThaiFox said:

It's just as confusing over here.

 

The results have been announced, but with no actual figures.

 

There are claims of massive 'over voting' in some regions, where more votes have been counted than actual constituents!

 

There is confusion over votes being cancelled because they were cast 'incorrectly' with the X being not neat enough, or to big or small! 

 

Also, some claims that political parties had their votes cancelled for no apparent reason.

 

There are claims the turnout was over 85%, but counted votes show only 60/65%. 

 

All in all, I'm betting the military will be in charge again with Prayut back as PM. (The new election rules the military put in place had them as winners whatever the outcome!)

 

I'll update as further information becomes clearer, but that may take a few days....weeks.....months!!

 

Brexit is much simpler!!

Steady on.

[ThaiFox]

On 25/03/2019 at 17:36, Spudulike said:

So, if your bet is right, what does that mean for King Power (and ultimately us) ??

Impossible to say. It's now been announced that the 'result' will be officially announced sometime in May!

 

But whoever wins the election, King Power will have to bid again for duty free rights next year, and it could mean their monopoly at all Thai airports will end.

 

However, these things change out here very quickly and it could well be they 'bid' enough to ensure their monopoly continues. 

 

It can only be good for Leicester City if they do get a further concession, and the more airports they have a monopoly at, the more turnover and profit they will make.