Responding to Vichai’s comment @23 re “There are NO elites who knowingly or maliciously keep any Thai in perpetual bondage…”
I don’t think you can say that until autoplant workers in Thailand start getting paid more than 6000 THB/month. The retail price of a car or pickup truck is essentially the same for a comparable vehicle sold in the USA or Australia, yet skilled workers are paid what I would typify as starvation wages. Imagine the size of the profits the factory owners are making!
Secondly, public school education in the rural regions of Thailand is far behind the standards offered to students within Bangkok, and the parents are hit with a number of special entrance fees and supplementary fees to get their students into the better schools. Rural students are at a permanent disadvantage if they graduate from these poorer quality schools, because they will always be at the bottom of the list for jobs and higher education. Even acceptance into a driver education training, as I witnessed in a Japanese sponsored vocational training program in Khon Kaen, is dependent upon your educational achievements. An even worse fate is to be conscripted into the Army, because you are fated to rise no higher than a security guard once you complete your military service.
Nganadeeleg: Donning one’s Colonel uniform could be very hazardous to my health. Haven’t you heard/read the news? The Red shirts sharpshooters clad in black are picking with ease top military officers . . . the higher the rank the more likely a target by those deadly accurate Red snipers.
Source: Thailand mulls a ‘half coup’
By Shawn W Crispin
Looking back in history, I’m comparing this event to those of 6 October 1976. The same thing happened.
In 1976, the government formulated groups such as Nawa-Pol (Nawa means 9 and Pol means roughly either Troop, strong, or mass) and Red Gaur group as the anti-students movement. These group was the major force in killing the students in 1976, now they are represent by the Yellow/Pink.
Tarrin, looking back in history can be strange. As I began to see the birth of the red shirts in opposition to the yellow shirts, I thought to myself, don’t they look like Red Gaur and village scouts again. Financed by local influential politicians with strongholds in places like Ayutthaya I caught the smell, and then Samak became prime minister and I thought ‘ Ho-ho the old gang is out and about again, ready for a bit of 1976 mayhem.” Déj├а vu all over again.
I guess that goes to prove history can be quite personal rather than objective. What do you think?
Stuart #68 is right. The wealthiest “Thais” are either of noble blood distantly related to the royal family (thanks in part to earlier kings having hundreds of children with their multiple wives) or of Sino extraction, or a mix of both (eg, the man who’s lived in a hospital for more than half a year had a Chinese mother and a royal Siamese father). Notably, the pure-bred, noble-blood wealthy Thais number far fewer than the wealthy Sino-Thais.
Sure, Thailand has never been colonised by a European power. But China economically colonised Siam long, long ago. Weren’t they clever to do so? Life is so much more sabai-sabai down here than it is in the Middle Kingdom.
Better than who? The generals? I doubt it, but of course Thaksin wasn’t prime minister back then. I guess we would have to compare True’s (TA, CP or whatever) owners to Thaksin. In which case, yes they are doing better as I haven’t heard of any censorship of the BBC or CNN. Have you?
First, the PPT article was quoting a really irresponsible piece of trash from The Nation, pure psych-ops stuff. They are pouring it on: southern separatists, terrorists, mercenaries, blah blah blah.
Anupong does NOT want to retire as a butcher. Prayuth is hell-bent on establishing his creds as a real animal. He lost a pile of his future command structure last week, taken out by pros, probably active duty and not just Sah Daeng (oh, they WISH it was that simple, but its not).
And they expect the masses to run away to the countryside to spend another generation staying “sufficient? Dream on, it’s not going to happen. And the constant refrain of Thaksin money is pure crap: first, nobody risks their lives to this degree for a few hundred baht a day and second, this ignores the reality that the village organizations are becoming self-funded.
If they slaughter, the world won’t have to wait for the King to check out before the long anticipated civil war starts. The patronage mafia wants 100%, not 50% or 95% but 100% of power. And that game is almost at an end. So the next time some punk runs over farmers and their kids in his Mercedes, he better not cry like a bitch for the cops to rescue him. He’ll go down down down, just like the rest of this corrupt state.
I share the same view with what Mr. Vichai N said that What a waste of time . . . all foreigners (Australians??) claiming expertise on Thailand issues . . .
What a disgrace! (allow me to use the same phrase as someone who claim to be a Thai expert did when National Thai Studies Center organized a lecture by a Thai political expert.
Andrew Walker should not accuse anyone being use by the Thai Government for the purpose of propoganada while he himself doing the same thing
The will be no balance in the discussion the most of the pannelists are full of prejudice and disregard the opposite opinion.
It looks like what they called interference of a national affairs rather than projecting acadmic view
Vichai N – I’m not ANU alum but for saying ANU is an unknown university is something people with higher education never dare to say. Anyway, those people that came to the panel probably own more degree and quite possibly more qualify than you, Vichai. I would rather heard their opinion than those article written by the Nation’s Editor in Chief, Thanong, who couldn’t even think ahead of his own finger tips.
As I am one of Thai in AUS, this panel seems to be a one-sided talk with only foreign scholars, without the Thai scholars, with may offer only biased the point of view of the current situation. I hope to have a chance to hear from both sides which can help the Thais and government, or any person to find the solution for this crisis.
“armed men were recruited from three groups of people: separatists in the South, mercenaries from neighbouring countries, and paramilitary men trained by active officers allied with the red shirts.”
Burmese gunmen has been known for very long time as the hired-assassins for the hit jobs in Thailand and they are very cheap compared to the Thai gunmen.
In the 1990s I was told by a Thai army colonel that a Burmese hired-bodyguard would cost not more than 5000 bahts a day while hiring a Thai army sergeant would cost 25,000 bahts a day.
Probably Thaksin is now counting his money and hiring cheaper guns for the action.
perhaps a notice could be posted on twitter to alert uss if such problems occur again..am outside of MICT-land but started to wonder if NM had been hit by a yellow DoS attack…until i checked: http://downforeveryoneorjustme.com/ (thanks to Richard Barrow for this link).
“Don’t you even know that many old communists, in areas like Nakhon Sri Thammarat, have long been the actual votebuyers for mainsteam candidates? And yes, that job does involve assassinating anyone who runs contrary to what their mainstream masters want. I have met the bereathed relatives of people who were murdered by these so-called idealogues. A lot of the hate against the shirt people is precisely because many of them have previously been enforcers for mainstream politicians. Revenge is a strong, and corrosive, emotion.”
That’s new! Popular opinion was the communist and the socialists are at the receiving ends of the bullets not at the triggers.
Fredkorat(#10), are you trying to rewrite the postwar history of Thailand?
Looking back in history, I’m comparing this event to those of 6 October 1976. The same thing happened.
In 1976, the government formulated groups such as Nawa-Pol (Nawa means 9 and Pol means roughly either Troop, strong, or mass) and Red Gaur group as the anti-students movement. These group was the major force in killing the students in 1976, now they are represent by the Yellow/Pink. After the crack down of 1976, a large part of the students went to hiding and staged a communist insurgent movement. Unfortunately for the student they didn’t have much people and furthermore, the communist ideology got split into two between the Soviet and the Chinese so the movement got weaker and in the end the government agreed to pardon them and they got assimilated back to the society.
However, this time, we are not talking about 50,000 strong students, we are talking about half of the country fighting another half. It will be a full scale civil war and not a pity insurgent.
Hey! Don’t slag off Australia! We’re doing pretty well, mate … considering we are all descended from English and Irish convicts (especially our politicians).
Facebook 
Twitter 
Soundcloud 
Youtube 
Rss
Anti-pro-democracy
Responding to Vichai’s comment @23 re “There are NO elites who knowingly or maliciously keep any Thai in perpetual bondage…”
I don’t think you can say that until autoplant workers in Thailand start getting paid more than 6000 THB/month. The retail price of a car or pickup truck is essentially the same for a comparable vehicle sold in the USA or Australia, yet skilled workers are paid what I would typify as starvation wages. Imagine the size of the profits the factory owners are making!
Secondly, public school education in the rural regions of Thailand is far behind the standards offered to students within Bangkok, and the parents are hit with a number of special entrance fees and supplementary fees to get their students into the better schools. Rural students are at a permanent disadvantage if they graduate from these poorer quality schools, because they will always be at the bottom of the list for jobs and higher education. Even acceptance into a driver education training, as I witnessed in a Japanese sponsored vocational training program in Khon Kaen, is dependent upon your educational achievements. An even worse fate is to be conscripted into the Army, because you are fated to rise no higher than a security guard once you complete your military service.
What next?
Nganadeeleg: Donning one’s Colonel uniform could be very hazardous to my health. Haven’t you heard/read the news? The Red shirts sharpshooters clad in black are picking with ease top military officers . . . the higher the rank the more likely a target by those deadly accurate Red snipers.
Source: Thailand mulls a ‘half coup’
By Shawn W Crispin
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/LD17Ae01.html
Statement by students and academics at ANU
Les: no.
Statement by students and academics at ANU
Andrew a quick question. Are you using moderation to censor or delay some comments that aren’t following a certain line?
If you are, I don’t mind, but you should probably state you are doing this so others don’t waste too much time writing the comments.
Ominous signs
I like your style dr anon.
Ominous signs
Looking back in history, I’m comparing this event to those of 6 October 1976. The same thing happened.
In 1976, the government formulated groups such as Nawa-Pol (Nawa means 9 and Pol means roughly either Troop, strong, or mass) and Red Gaur group as the anti-students movement. These group was the major force in killing the students in 1976, now they are represent by the Yellow/Pink.
Tarrin, looking back in history can be strange. As I began to see the birth of the red shirts in opposition to the yellow shirts, I thought to myself, don’t they look like Red Gaur and village scouts again. Financed by local influential politicians with strongholds in places like Ayutthaya I caught the smell, and then Samak became prime minister and I thought ‘ Ho-ho the old gang is out and about again, ready for a bit of 1976 mayhem.” Déj├а vu all over again.
I guess that goes to prove history can be quite personal rather than objective. What do you think?
ABC TV on Thai politics
Stuart #68 is right. The wealthiest “Thais” are either of noble blood distantly related to the royal family (thanks in part to earlier kings having hundreds of children with their multiple wives) or of Sino extraction, or a mix of both (eg, the man who’s lived in a hospital for more than half a year had a Chinese mother and a royal Siamese father). Notably, the pure-bred, noble-blood wealthy Thais number far fewer than the wealthy Sino-Thais.
Sure, Thailand has never been colonised by a European power. But China economically colonised Siam long, long ago. Weren’t they clever to do so? Life is so much more sabai-sabai down here than it is in the Middle Kingdom.
An open letter to the Thai media
Tarrin – 12
So now is Abhisit doing any better???
Better than who? The generals? I doubt it, but of course Thaksin wasn’t prime minister back then. I guess we would have to compare True’s (TA, CP or whatever) owners to Thaksin. In which case, yes they are doing better as I haven’t heard of any censorship of the BBC or CNN. Have you?
Ominous signs
First, the PPT article was quoting a really irresponsible piece of trash from The Nation, pure psych-ops stuff. They are pouring it on: southern separatists, terrorists, mercenaries, blah blah blah.
Anupong does NOT want to retire as a butcher. Prayuth is hell-bent on establishing his creds as a real animal. He lost a pile of his future command structure last week, taken out by pros, probably active duty and not just Sah Daeng (oh, they WISH it was that simple, but its not).
And they expect the masses to run away to the countryside to spend another generation staying “sufficient? Dream on, it’s not going to happen. And the constant refrain of Thaksin money is pure crap: first, nobody risks their lives to this degree for a few hundred baht a day and second, this ignores the reality that the village organizations are becoming self-funded.
If they slaughter, the world won’t have to wait for the King to check out before the long anticipated civil war starts. The patronage mafia wants 100%, not 50% or 95% but 100% of power. And that game is almost at an end. So the next time some punk runs over farmers and their kids in his Mercedes, he better not cry like a bitch for the cops to rescue him. He’ll go down down down, just like the rest of this corrupt state.
ABC TV on Thai politics
jothestrong
The Thai sold themselves to the chinese decades ago. They own you.
Thailand on the verge
I share the same view with what Mr. Vichai N said that What a waste of time . . . all foreigners (Australians??) claiming expertise on Thailand issues . . .
What a disgrace! (allow me to use the same phrase as someone who claim to be a Thai expert did when National Thai Studies Center organized a lecture by a Thai political expert.
Andrew Walker should not accuse anyone being use by the Thai Government for the purpose of propoganada while he himself doing the same thing
The will be no balance in the discussion the most of the pannelists are full of prejudice and disregard the opposite opinion.
It looks like what they called interference of a national affairs rather than projecting acadmic view
Thailand on the verge
Vichai N – I’m not ANU alum but for saying ANU is an unknown university is something people with higher education never dare to say. Anyway, those people that came to the panel probably own more degree and quite possibly more qualify than you, Vichai. I would rather heard their opinion than those article written by the Nation’s Editor in Chief, Thanong, who couldn’t even think ahead of his own finger tips.
Thailand on the verge
As I am one of Thai in AUS, this panel seems to be a one-sided talk with only foreign scholars, without the Thai scholars, with may offer only biased the point of view of the current situation. I hope to have a chance to hear from both sides which can help the Thais and government, or any person to find the solution for this crisis.
Ominous signs
“armed men were recruited from three groups of people: separatists in the South, mercenaries from neighbouring countries, and paramilitary men trained by active officers allied with the red shirts.”
Burmese gunmen has been known for very long time as the hired-assassins for the hit jobs in Thailand and they are very cheap compared to the Thai gunmen.
In the 1990s I was told by a Thai army colonel that a Burmese hired-bodyguard would cost not more than 5000 bahts a day while hiring a Thai army sergeant would cost 25,000 bahts a day.
Probably Thaksin is now counting his money and hiring cheaper guns for the action.
NM back!
perhaps a notice could be posted on twitter to alert uss if such problems occur again..am outside of MICT-land but started to wonder if NM had been hit by a yellow DoS attack…until i checked:
http://downforeveryoneorjustme.com/ (thanks to Richard Barrow for this link).
An open letter to the Thai media
Try this website to access People Channel TV live (hurry, before it is blocked soon) to beat the domination of pro-ammat mainstream media.
http://www.thaipeoplechannel24.blogspot.com/
Pls wait for one minute or two for loading.
An open letter to the Thai media
“Don’t you even know that many old communists, in areas like Nakhon Sri Thammarat, have long been the actual votebuyers for mainsteam candidates? And yes, that job does involve assassinating anyone who runs contrary to what their mainstream masters want. I have met the bereathed relatives of people who were murdered by these so-called idealogues. A lot of the hate against the shirt people is precisely because many of them have previously been enforcers for mainstream politicians. Revenge is a strong, and corrosive, emotion.”
That’s new! Popular opinion was the communist and the socialists are at the receiving ends of the bullets not at the triggers.
Fredkorat(#10), are you trying to rewrite the postwar history of Thailand?
Ominous signs
Looking back in history, I’m comparing this event to those of 6 October 1976. The same thing happened.
In 1976, the government formulated groups such as Nawa-Pol (Nawa means 9 and Pol means roughly either Troop, strong, or mass) and Red Gaur group as the anti-students movement. These group was the major force in killing the students in 1976, now they are represent by the Yellow/Pink. After the crack down of 1976, a large part of the students went to hiding and staged a communist insurgent movement. Unfortunately for the student they didn’t have much people and furthermore, the communist ideology got split into two between the Soviet and the Chinese so the movement got weaker and in the end the government agreed to pardon them and they got assimilated back to the society.
However, this time, we are not talking about 50,000 strong students, we are talking about half of the country fighting another half. It will be a full scale civil war and not a pity insurgent.
ABC TV on Thai politics
Hey! Don’t slag off Australia! We’re doing pretty well, mate … considering we are all descended from English and Irish convicts (especially our politicians).
🙂
An open letter to the Thai media
Thaksin, having awoken the peasants for his own ends, may not find it so easy to put them back to bed again.