Is this the start of another Coup?

[Super Joe]

Interesting article.
They generally speak a lot of sense at AT, apart from in the 12th topic down.

SJ

[Vital Spark]

...they are paying every rioter 1000 baht + a shirt for the three days, they were recruiting in Hua Hin last week...

Ah, now I understand why the landlady's daughter has disappeared off to the metropolis. I'm p****d off. When she's away, as my landlady can't leave the shop and clean my house - which is a nice little earner for her and her family.

I initially supported the PAD, but now I'm getting fed-up with them. When we first moved into our house the whole family thought that Taksin was God. We had discussions about why we thought that he wasn't, and they didn't believe us. Now there's a chance of a day or two out (paid for) to Bangkok and they've all swung the other way. Waive a few Baht and T-shirts in front of them and they'll follow the leader (whoever he may be). All the people in the village believe the propaganda spouted out from the massive stage - just like they believed the propaganda that Taksin was preaching.

This extended picnic, with songs and free noodles, has been going on for too long.

I want my cleaning lady back!

VS

[Super Joe]

PAD say politicians should be appointed and not elected and that the majority are usually wrong. To back this up the bloke said that the majority of people used to think the world was flat.

SJ

[Spitfire]

To be honest, I think there are quite a few posters here in danger of making too much SENSE........We couldn't possible have any of that here in LOS, denile works for them better.

[ozuncle]

Since these fools voted SadSak in the Thai stock market has lost 23% of its value, the economy is on the slide, and crises go unadressed.

Which fools are you referring to sandman67?

I think your comments re the stock market and the economy are unfair!

Have a look at stock markets and economies around the world in the same time frame and I would expect that Thailand has done quite well.

I believe that it will not make any difference who is in power. They are all the same. We can do very little to make change. I just hope that the PAD mob have learnt that what they have done is not the right way to go about it.

[sargeant]

Well the PAD puppet master was out today with the figurehead and apparently the 3 days and go home promise was just a politicians promise because they are now going through to sunday
somebody is certainly laying out some serious wedge for all this thats for sure
I wonder how they will get it back

[STEVE G]

Since these fools voted SadSak in the Thai stock market has lost 23% of its value, the economy is on the slide, and crises go unadressed.

Which fools are you referring to sandman67?

I think your comments re the stock market and the economy are unfair!

Yes, actually the Thai stock market has lost 23% since May when the PAD demonstrations began. The stock market just wants stability in any form, without unpredictable street protests trying to force a coup.

[buksida]

The police have now ignored orders and refused to take action making Samak look like a bigger idiot after all of his tough talk.

The military has deep divisions in its loyalties so this could get messy if PAD don't step down soon.

[Guess]

Yes, actually the Thai stock market has lost 23% since May when the PAD demonstrations began. The stock market just wants stability in any form, without unpredictable street protests trying to force a coup.

I don't know where the 23% comes from. I suppose somewhere you could take a trading low and divide into a high and come up with that figure. Of course it is not real. However STEVE is correct in saying that the significant drop (there have been three this year) has been during the latter part of the the PAD rallies. It also coincides with the public and financial lack of confidence in Samak's government, and external factors such as increased oil prices. So you can not read into it too much.

http://www.set.or.th/en/market/files/20 ... ?date=2008

You could state that the stock market (SET) has dropped because of:

A lack of confidence in Thai government policies grows
Oil prices continuing to rise
Street demonstrations causing political instability in Thailand.

The truth is probably a combination of all three.

SM69. It is unclear who "the idiots" you refer to are. Do you mean the members of the stock market?

I agree with the statement above by STEVE G regarding the stock dealers. Most would like stability.

My views on the free shirts and 1,000 Baht versus cash for votes topic is are that the situations are completely different.

It is perfectly acceptable for a politically motivated group to offer support to its supporters. In the west it is quite normal for a political party to arrange a taxi or other form of transport to get people to the polls who would otherwise struggle. Also fetes and other events are funded where children of the voters are given gifts in an attempt to woo them to their cause. The right and wrongs of this is another topic. The fact is it happens in the west and is legal as is the donation of cash to political parties.

For a party to visit an area and offer cash for votes and organize transport for voters to ensure they vote the right way is unethical, illegal and corrupt.

So to compare any offerings by PAD (who are not standing for election anyway) with cash for votes by Thaksin and Samak in poor areas with the purpose of directly rigging the electoral process is pointless.

Of course both sides will accuse the other and both sides will enhance the story a little.

PAD do not have to come to Hua Hin or anywhere south of Petchaburi to get support. They have had it all along.

It makes as much sense as going to Narathiwat and Pattani and offering people cash to convert to Islam.

[VincentD]

This is a hot topic of discussion in the office where I work.

The Personnel Assistant actually took her own leave to attend the demonstration; she said that no-one was being paid to be there, they were there of their own free will.

They did not block roads. Apparently they took up the inside lane of a three lane road; she said she too would be annoyed if all three lanes were blocked off, and put the comments down to journalistic licence.

She said the majority of people there are at least middle class, and are annoyed at the way the present government is squandering their tax money doing stupid things and not addressing the real issues.

The police are not doing anything because they know this is a *real* protest.

My two cents worth.

[STEVE G]

Guess wrote:

I don't know where the 23% comes from. I suppose somewhere you could take a trading low and divide into a high and come up with that figure. Of course it is not real. However STEVE is correct in saying that the significant drop (there have been three this year) has been during the latter part of the the PAD rallies. It also coincides with the public and financial lack of confidence in Samak's government, and external factors such as increased oil prices. So you can not read into it too much.

Guess, I don't know who first came up with 23%, but it's been widely used in press reports, from Reuters today:

The stock market has fallen 23 percent since the street campaign began in May amid fears of everything from policy paralysis at a time of stuttering economic growth to bloodshed on the streets.
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssFina ... dChannel=0

[sargeant]

All i will say is i KNOW they were recruiting in HH and thats not a surmise or a guess even pun intended.
As for not comparing lets try similarities buying a vote for 100 baht is rich people using money to gain power paying 1,000 Bt for people to protest and topple a govt is rich people using money to gain power
see any similarity i do they are both WRONG

[buksida]

And a government supporting a man that deprived the state of millions of dollars is RIGHT?



Bribery and corruption happens everywhere in Asia, the sums involved are irrelevant, and yes I agree its wrong but its not going to stop.

[sargeant]

They didnt support him very well hes had to do a runner and he cant come back to thailand let alone politics now
I said i would wait for his trial he ran hes guilty i must admit my calcs were that he had the judges in his pocket (normal Thai system)and i think he did too but now he knows he hasnt
Times change
The Faces change
the system stays the same

[Spitfire]

Doing a runner, says it all.