Thread: Suthep threatens to 'shut down' Bangkok afer New Year holidays

For some things but Myanmar's infrastructure is way behind Thailand to support any significant industrial enterprise.

you seen the amounts being invested there.?

Check. cambo, nam, indon, laos. Check. The problem for the portfolio investor though is that there is not that much available to invest in in many of these places...
Thailand still possesses many benefits actually, but one major downside- it's decrepit, lawless and corrupt urban elite. Hard to see this place going anywhere until they die out, or are replaced.

chinese investment in Thailand is down for sure chinese are investing in myanmar a lot more though,as norton says infrastructure is way behind Thailand,

$56.7 billion; The amount of FDI Singapore received in 2012.
Singapore received more FDI than Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam combined.
Indonesia and Malaysia were the 2nd and 3rd largest recipients of FDI in ASEAN in 2012,

Singapore and Malaysia = stability pays off

Originally Posted by sabang

Check. cambo, nam, indon, laos. Check. The problem for the portfolio investor though is that there is not that much available to invest in in many of these places...
Thailand still possesses many benefits actually, but one major downside- it's decrepit, lawless and corrupt urban elite. Hard to see this place going anywhere until they die out, or are replaced.

Absolutely agree, but lawless and corrupt are adjectives I would tag to any other member of ASEAN.

The experiment should be fun to watch, of Asia's equivalent of the EU but with not even a pretence at honesty or integrity.

Originally Posted by Yasojack

chinese investment in Thailand is down for sure chinese are investing in myanmar a lot more though,as norton says infrastructure is way behind Thailand,

I just got back from Panburi, where I was told the Chinese just aquired 200,000 of rai for development.

^Probably Suthep and his clan

Originally Posted by OckerRocker

$56.7 billion; The amount of FDI Singapore received in 2012.
Singapore received more FDI than Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam combined.
Indonesia and Malaysia were the 2nd and 3rd largest recipients of FDI in ASEAN in 2012,

Singapore and Malaysia = stability pays off

Not so sure PH, while I agree stability is desirable it's also flatline - some risk is involved which is why it's called "venture" capital

Originally Posted by Tom Sawyer

Originally Posted by OckerRocker

$56.7 billion; The amount of FDI Singapore received in 2012.
Singapore received more FDI than Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam combined.
Indonesia and Malaysia were the 2nd and 3rd largest recipients of FDI in ASEAN in 2012,

Singapore and Malaysia = stability pays off

Not so sure PH, while I agree stability is desirable it's also flatline - some risk is involved which is why it's called "venture" capital

Quite true, TS - still, the numbers don't lie. You can still make good money in these two places . . . and be safe in the knowledge that some scum won't nick it . . . like has happened far too often in the other places - Thailand (Thaksin among many) and Indinesia

from an international press source,

http://asiancorrespondent.com/120980...ck-shinawatra/

It’s been an ugly few months in Thailand when it comes to the political situation in this country. Violence, deaths, inflammatory rhetoric – and no one is sure where it ends. But it’s been ugly for other reasons as well, not the least of which are the sexist, misogynistic attacks that have been hurled at Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

The Thai PM has taken a lot of flak over the past couple of years, and the torrent of abuse has been intensifying amid mounting pressure to remove her from office. Late last year Abhisit Vejjajiva, leader of the opposition Democrat Party, called the prime minister a ‘stupid bitch’ ['ee ngo' in Thai - อีโง่] in a public address. In January, Election Commission chief Somchai Srisuthiyakorn made oblique, yet public, remarks about Yingluck’s fidelity; these just a couple of weeks before the country went to the polls.

When it comes to her capabilities as a leader, Yingluck is certainly not above reproach. But she’s been called derogatory words and suffered sexist attacks that should make any feminist, or decent person, uncomfortable.

Some academics and feminist activists have said that if Yingluck were a man, no one would be using sexist slurs toward her – at least not so publicly. They don’t rush to Yingluck’s defense as a prime minister, but some have said the sexist insults she’s suffered highlight how far Thailand has to go when it comes to gender equality.

“Sexism in Thai culture only applies one way,” said Dr. Pinkaew Laungaramsri, a professor at Chiang Mai University, in an email. “As the public discourse about Yingluck has often been framed in a very derogatory way (poor English, whore, shedding tears too easily, etc.), it has affected public trust in her ability to undertake difficult tasks such as national reform.”

In January, Bangkok Post columnist Sanitsuda Ekachai made the point that feminist groups have not rushed to Yingluck’s defense against attacks that would surely draw criticism were they leveled at other women.

Dr. Nongyao Nawarat, a sociology professor at Chiang Mai University, said this may be because feminist groups don’t want to appear to support Yingluck’s policies or her administration, which many see as being a puppet government run by her brother, self-exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

“I think in the beginning, most women’s groups were hesitant to react, whether they should be happy or unhappy, welcome or unwelcome to the first female prime minister,” said Dr. Nongyao Nawarat, a sociology professor at Chiang Mai University, where the Prime Minister studied in her younger years. Because Yingluck had little political leadership experience when she took office, they were unsure of whether she was capable of leading and didn’t want to throw their support behind her off the bat.

Dr. Sutada Mekrungruengkul, network coordinator of the organization Women’s Network Reshaping Thailand (WREST) compared Yingluck to Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska who ran for Vice President of the United States on John McCain’s presidential ticket in 2008. Both women were scrutinized for their appearance and their lack of political acumen (one obviously being a more valid complaint than the other), and mocked regularly in the media.

“Sometimes I think Yingluck and Palin are the same in one way or another,” Mekrungruengkul said. “She is not very good in political knowledge, she is not prepared to be a political leader. These make people scared. When you are a prime minister, people will condemn you.”

Nonetheless, she said feminist groups should speak out against the sexist and misogynistic treatment of the prime minister, regardless of their opinions on her politics.

“In our network, some women feel that she deserves to be treated like that and we have to discuss with each other that she doesn’t deserve that. Every single woman does not deserve to be treated like that,” Mekrungruengkul said. “They fight for the status of women, but they omit this person. But I say to them, no, you have to check your stance. To change your principle because of this particular case is not good thinking.”

The double standard applied to the country’s female prime minister cracks the door open into the widespread issues of sexism and gender inequality still prevalent here.

Gender inequality issues in Thailand are nuanced and complex, especially when looking at the situation for women in different economic classes and those from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Education and employment are ongoing concerns for feminist and gender activists here, according to Mekrungruengkul. She said that although the constitution calls for equal opportunities, there is still a vast disparity when it comes to income and job positions, particularly in blue collar environments such as factories.

“The law enforcement is very loose in every sense,” Mekrungruengkul said. She and Nawarat have said the situation is most dire for undereducated and poor women, who hit a wall when it comes to promotion and opportunities fairly quickly.

Nawarat said this is due to a lack of education. Many women who take low-level positions in a factory do not have the educational background to compete for better paid jobs doing clerical or management work within the company. Someone who has been well educated might do fine there, but many low-income women won’t. Both women advocate raising the compulsory schooling age so students are in school until they are 16, in order to keep more women in school longer and improve their chances of economic stability.

Both Nawarat and Mekrungruengkul said conditions have improved for middle-class women who, because of their access to education, are able to secure higher positions and therefore higher salaries.

“If we look at the women in the city or higher economic status, they are OK. They are educated, they are financially independent, they can earn for themselves,” Mekrungruengkul said. “So we have to look at the women in the ghettos, the slums, women in the up-country, poor women. These are the women who are victims of violence. Unfortunately, the number of people living in bad conditions is higher than the [wealthier women].”

Feminist causes in Thailand run the gamut from domestic abuse, to the protection of sex workers, to establishing migrant workers’ rights, and the rights of the transgender community. At the recent International Women’s Day March and rally in Chiang Mai, women from a number of civil society organizations and ethnic backgrounds spoke out in favor of decriminalizing sex work and the need for fair treatment for migrant workers. As is the case in so many places, the priorities become more dire the lower the socio-economic class. Sex trafficking is a very real threat to women in the poor nations surrounding Thailand, and those living in the ethnic minority, or hill tribe, communities.

Nawarat has worked with the hill tribe communities near Chiang Rai and helped a Karen woman be elected to local government. This is one step toward better representation of marginalized groups, and in making women from disenfranchised groups more visible.

The energy and commitment of many groups that assist women of Thai, Burmese, and other ethnic backgrounds in the country is palpable. And Mekrungruengkul said there have been efforts to engage more men in the conversation about gender equality, making them feel like partners in the effort rather than as though they are being blamed. While progressive legislation might provide recourse for women who have long been denied real protection by law, true change will come when the general mindset has shifted to one of equality and partnership among the genders and economic classes.

Suthep says government officials can return to work Tuesday
April 5, 2014



People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) leader Suthep Thaugsuban announced Saturday that all government offices except Government House and the Interior Ministry will be open Tuesday, ending months long seizure.

He said government officials except those of the two agencies could go back to serving people from April 8.

However, caretaker ministers are not allowed to enter the offices and the PDRC will put up a sign saying officials agree with the reform on the gates, he said.

He said the PDRC shut down Bangkok in the hope that Ms Yingluck Shinawatra would resign.

But he said he was wrong and underestimated her because she did not care a bit and even was cool to the trouble facing Bangkok’s people.

Again, he said, when the PDRC restarted Bangkok but kept government agencies closed, she instead forced officials to work in remote offices, causing troubles to low-ranking officials.

With regard to her stubbornness, the PDRC decided to open government offices.

However, the officials must not take orders from Yingluck and the government.

They can only serve people and they must allow protesters to put up signs on the gates saying they would cooperate with the PDRC’s reforms, he said.

They also need to take good care of these signs. If they are torn or removed, they will have to fix them or we will close their offices again, Suthep warned.

He made clear that the PDRC left out Government House because “this office does not serve people but rather Yingluck”.

Suthep also anticipated the protest might end in 15 days on two scenarios.

First is on the day when the National Anti Corruption Commission is to indict Yingluck on the rice deal scandal which she had to stop working.

But he said this might take longer process.

But the ruling by the Constitutional Court will end her premiership status if she is found guilty for unlawful transfer of the former national security chief Thawil Pliensri.

He said on the day ruling by the court is announced, it will be the final push of the

PDRC to announce the people’s revolution and seize the sovereign power back to the people’s hand from the illegitimate government.

He said a new prime minister will be announced and all ministry’s heads are required to report to the PDRC.

The first task of the revolution will be to seize all the assets of the Shinawatra family, and ban all members of the family to leave the country.

The mass rally at Lumpini park remained peaceful but under watchful eyes of soldiers patrolling around to ensure safety and prevent harassment by perpetrators.

englishnews.thaipbs.or.th

Originally Posted by englishnews.thaipbs.or.th

Suthep says

Originally Posted by Suthep

They can only serve people and they must allow protesters to put up signs on the gates saying they would cooperate with the PDRC’s reforms, he said.

They also need to take good care of these signs.

If they are torn or removed, they will have to fix them or we will close their offices again, Suthep warned.

incredible .

He is simply mad

Mad and Desperate.... the witterings of someone who realises his flock have stopped listening.

Suthep meet irrelevancy.... your new bedfellow....

The white Ambulance will be on its way for Suthep soon, his sanity is seriously in doubt.

PDRC confirms no movement today to avoid confrontation with UDD
supawadee wangsri

BANGKOK, 5 April 2014, (NNT) - Political demonstrators at Lumpini Park today confirmed they would not be moving to any other places, to avoid provocation and confrontation.

At the Lumpini Park rally site, Mr. Suthep Thaugsuban, the Secretary General of People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), was to talk about reform before an election, while other leaders constantly provide information on the situation. Today Mr. Suthep Thaugsuban will assign a mission to PDRC leaders from all provinces and make an appointment with PDRC representatives and networks nationwide, while including representatives in other countries, in order to clarify the current situation and study strategies to prepare for the big demonstration.

However, the PDRC will hold its meeting only at Lumpini Park rally site and not move anywhere else. PDRC leaders say that if any tensions develop with members of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), the PDRC will have nothing to do with them. Meanwhile PDRC guards are on duty at checkpoints at all entrances and exits and in the surrounding areas to prevent any persons of ill-will creating volatile situations.

thainews.prd.go.th

Soldiers shot, wounded by NSPRT
Wassana Nanuam
6/04/2014

Two soldiers were shot and wounded by guards of the Network of Students and People for the Reform of Thailand (NSPRT) while on patrol duty on Soi Likhit near the 1st Army Region headquarters and Wat Benjamabopit in Dusit district on Saturday night, according to Maj Gen Apirat Kongsompong, commander of the 1st Infantry Division.

Maj Gen Apirat, who is responsible for overseeing the overall military operation as well as coordinating with the Centre for the Administration of Peace and Order (Capo), said the incident took place at 9.10pm.

The two soldiers who were shot and wounded were Chief Warrant Office Chaiyan Lekpong and L/Cpl Prasert Chansri.

They were admitted to Ramathibodi Hospital.

"Our soldiers have filed a police complaint that plaincloth soldiers on motorcycle patrol were fired at, possibly by NSPRT guards providing security around their rally site. They might have shot the soldiers out of a misunderstanding. However, we have to take legal action against them because the protesters should not have been armed.

"After the incident, I have ordered the setting up of more checkpoints," Maj Gen Apirat said.

Chief Warrant Officer Pairoj Kantha, on of the five plaincloth soldiers who were patrolling on three motorcycles, told a police officer on duty that the two soldiers who were wounded were riding on the first motorcycle and he was riding on the second.

At the time of the incident, he heard one gunshot, which was followed by a series of gun shots fired from a war weapon, possibly an AK47 rifle.

The first motorcycle fell in the soi by Wat Benjamabopit School connected to Si Ayutthaya road.

"When the first motorcycle fell, two NSPRT guards came out of a bunker. One of them pointed at the head of a wounded soldier with a .38 revolver. I had to quickly identiy myself as a soldier on patrol. The guard pulled back his weapon. I immediately arranged for the wounded to be admitted to the hospital," Chief Warrant Officer Pairoj said.

bangkokpost.com

^

being described by some as friendly fire .........................

Originally Posted by Mid

Our soldiers have filed a police complaint

. . . NOW they want the police to do their job?

Un-bloody-believable hypocrisy . . .

Quite an incredible story.

such a peaceful group Suthep and co.

Protest Guards Did Not Shoot At Soldiers, Activist Says

(7 April) Head of anti-government protesters' security force has disputed reports that their members have shot and wounded two soldiers on their patrol.

One sergeant and one corporal were reportedly shot at by unidentified assailants as they patrolled the area in Soi Likhit behind Wat Benchamabopit Temple on the night of 5 April, close to the campsite manned by anti-government protesters, police said.

Media reports indicate that the pair did not the wear uniforms at the time. Police said both soldiers were shot in their shoulders.

After inspecting the crime scene with forensic officers, Pol.Lt.Col. Sitthisak Nakamart said the police found one 11 mm. handgun bullet and residues of bullet's copper jacket in the area.

According to Pol.Lt.Col. Sitthisak, witnesses told police the soldiers were a part of 5-member patrol team, and they were patrolling the road near protest campsite on motorcycle on the night of the incident. He said unidentified shooters opened fire at the team at around 21.00, wounding them and causing them to fall off their motorcycle, while the rest of the patrol team scurried away for safety.

Pol.Lt.Col. Sitthisak added that the wounded soldiers "are not in the condition to give any testimony", and witnesses to the shooting claimed they could not clearly see the attackers, while public CCTVs in the area were somehow titled upward and unable to capture moments of the incident.

However, Pol.Gen. Worapong Chiewpreecha, deputy chief of the Royal Thai Police, said in a press conference that security guards employed by anti-government protesters were most likely responsible for the shooting, citing evidence gathered by the police.

"The investigation on the ballistics has pointed to the position of the NSRT," Pol.Gen. Worapong said, referring to the Network of Students and People for the Reform of Thailand, "It indicates that the demonstrators were armed. The police have previously tried to intercept these weapons by setting up checkpoints, and we must double our effort".

He also vowed to seek search warrant from the court so the police can search for any weapons inside the NSRT campsite.

But Mr. Nasser Yeehma, head of the NSRT's security guards unit, told reporters that his security team was certainly not responsible for the shooting, as the incident occurred outside the area maintained and monitored by NSRT guards.

As a gesture of goodwill, Mr. Nasser said his representatives will send flower basket to the wounded soldiers who are currently in hospital. Nevertheless, he voiced his suspicion over why the two soldiers were not wearing uniforms at the time.

"Let me stress that the NSRT is rallying in peaceful manner and without any weapons," Mr. Nasser said.

Meanwhile, Lt.Gen. Abhirat Kongsomphong, commander of the 1st Infantry Division, said he believes the soldiers were shot "due to misunderstanding", without naming anyone as suspected perpetrators.

Lt.Gen. Abhirak added that the army has already lodged complaints over the shooting at Dusit Police Station.

en.khaosod.co.th