Thai elections 2011-Thai PM sets stage for tough election

**Calgary** · 21-05-2011, 03:59 PM

Originally Posted by Buksida

PT is promising free credit cards?

Are these for everyone or just constituencies that vote for PT?

What is so good about a free card anyway?

As I understand this is for taxi-motorcycle taxi's. Not sure tho'

'Oops, just confirmed with someone in the know. It is a proposed credit card system for farmers to give them better access to fertilizers, chemicals etc.

**baldrick** · 21-05-2011, 05:11 PM

Originally Posted by Calgary

It is a proposed credit card system for farmers to give them better access to fertilizers, chemicals etc.

and taxi drivers and motocy taxis to pay for fuel

**StrontiumDog** · 21-05-2011, 05:42 PM

Originally Posted by Tom Sawyer

Originally Posted by SteveCM

From Twitter today:

ThaiElection11 ThaiElection2011

Tennis star Paradorn is confirmed disqualified as MP candidate for failing to vote in BKK councilor and district councilor in 2008. (1)

Paradorn is just party member of Chart Pattana Puea Pandin and helps election campaign this time. (end)

12 minutes ago

This is the type of Tweet that is worth posting - real news. Not the one-line propaganda shite from Tusltwit and TAN

I presume you are joking Tom...

**StrontiumDog** · 21-05-2011, 05:45 PM

Originally Posted by Takeovers

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Do you think Thaksin/Yingluck will order an investigation and criminal proceedings against what would be their own military and police, about the red shirt deaths?

That's hilarious. Surely you are joking here.

Their military? The one that illegally ousted Thaksin in the first place? You do remember, do you?

But no they probably won't prosecute them because if nothing else this would cause a new military takeover.

I think you didn't read what I wrote accurately. Maybe trying to re-read it might enable you to draw the correct meaning behind the post.

It was at the very least rhetorical.

Just trying to call Calgary's bluff.....and it appears to have worked. Shocker!

**StrontiumDog** · 21-05-2011, 05:46 PM

http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newman...ed/#more-14229

“Vote No” logic flawed

May 21st, 2011 by Aim Sinpeng

The People’s Alliance for Democracy’s “Vote No” campaign adds an interesting twist to Thailand’s pre-election drama. Although voting “no” is not new for Thai electorates, the PAD’s new campaign should be viewed as a strategy to create a “protest vote movement” that supporters believe could lead to real change in Thai politics. Even if we set aside the fact that the campaign is unlikely to solicit enough support to have any major impact on the electoral outcome this July, its raison d’être, unfortunately, still lacks clarity and depth.

FacePAD – one of the Yellow Shirts’ driving force behind the “Vote No” campaign headquartered on Facebook that boasts some 7,000 fans online – has one mission this upcoming election: to convince as many people as possible to vote “no” at the ballot. A FacePAD’s lead organizer argues in an interview with Thai PBS “We want people to say no to crooked politicians and the defunct political system that sustains them…Voting “no” in the election means we say “no” to the system, to the electoral process as it stands. If enough people vote no, we could do away with the current political system and start over from scratch.”

Not entirely convinced, I listened in on a PAD “Vote No” rally led by Maj. Gen. Chamlong Srimuoung this past week. Here is a summary of their arguments:

For the PAD, there are two types of politicians: 1. Bad politicians and 2. Seemingly “good” politicians, who allow the bad ones to run the show.
We should vote “no” in the next election because…

Some politicians burn our country, others allow criminals to continue burning our homes and support their bail
Some politicians cheat and steal from the people to feed their cronies, others give concessions to their friends
Some politicians give away our territories to Cambodia, others allow Cambodia to occupy our land and hurt our people
Whichever group becomes government, the people will still come out in droves to protest

In sum, you should vote “no” if: a) you’re sick of politics, b) don’t know who to vote for, c) sick of protests and d) don’t condone violence. By voting “no”, we send a message to politicians that we’re fed up with them and the political system and this shall open ways for a major political reform.

The “Vote No” campaign logic is flawed on at least three grounds. First, when a voter checks the vote no box on the ballot, we can’t assume he/she wants reform. In fact, the ECT categorizes vote no ballots, incorrectly filled ballots and any other problematic ballots as “wasted ballots”. It’s not plausible to pinpoint a voter’s preference based exclusively on his/her no vote. The relationship between voting no and being pro-reform is tentative at best.

Second, it is unclear whether enough no votes could lead to a reform. Examples of vote no campaigns elsewhere prove to be a disappointment. Third, the PAD’s reform proposal remains vague. While their speeches at rallies are filled with reasons why existing politicians are like dumb animals who we shouldn’t let into parliament, they’re short on the specifics of those who should be replacing these “crooks”. “Politicians are bastards,” claims the PAD, “….we need ‘good’ people to run the country.” But who gets to say who is good or bad?

I came back from the rally with one clear thing in my mind: more protests ahead.

**SteveCM** · 21-05-2011, 08:07 PM

From the blog world.....

Thailand’s PM candidates & social media in the election | Asian Correspondent

By Jon Russell
May 21, 2011

Yesterday saw Yingluck Shinawatra, the Pheu Thai Party Prime Ministerial candidate, join Twitter. Using the username [at]PouYingluck (“pou” being a play on “pou-ying” [ผู้หญิง - Thai for woman] and her name) she ended with day with just over 2,000 followers, which has now reached to 3,750 (at time of writing).

It’s worth noting that her Twitter username was initially [at]PooYingluck but, given the obviously awkward wording, it was changed today…which does make you wonder why it was chosen in the first place?!

Aside from her new Twitter presence, Yingluck has maintained a Facebook Fan Page since rumours of her potential candidacy first emerged more than a month ago, although it is only in recent weeks that numbers have rised, with more than 10,000 Facebook users liking the page at time of writing.

Yingluck clearly has a long way to go, in social media terms, when you look at Abhisit Vejjajiva’s presence. Granted the Prime Minister has had significantly more time in the political spotlight than Yingluck but – as I blogged last year – he was included on a list of 10 top world leaders on Twitter, and has 617, 970 fans on his Page which is significantly more sophisticated with more features than his rival, which is of little surprise given he has dedicated social media representatives in his team – who are responsible for posting his content on social networks.

Yingluck, on the other hand, appears to have greater input over her content which has included personal photos – some of her with her son – and more interaction with users who contact her, particular on Twitter, unlike Abhisit.

Abhisit also has a dedicated webpage – though it acts more as a landing page – with video but he has surely missed a trick by giving up his Prime Ministerial Twitter account for a new account following the dissolution of parliament?

Rather than using Twitter to rename his original PM account, and thus retaining the 197,197 followers of [at]Abhisit_PM, he and his team have opted to start from scratch with a new user name, [at]Abhisit_DP (“DP standing for “Democrat Party”) which has just 7,224 followers.

While social media is unlikely to win an election singled handedly, in failing to rename the account Abhisit’s team has blundered, losing a sizeable audience at election time, when it is surely at its most useful?

All in all, (from my findings here) there are 44 politicians and/or political parties from Thailand making use of Twitter, of which few have any meaningful follower numbers or tweet with any real regularity.

Earlier this month I asked whether Thailand’s election would help increase Twitter usage in the country – and I’m still in two minds on the answer.
For one thing, the online world doesn’t represent the offline reality for a number of reasons.

Access

Internet penetration is notably low in Thailand, for example, as the CEO of True Group recently lamented, the country ageing infrastructure means that 17 million of Thailand’s 20 million households don’t have access to broadband, coupled with which there is (infamously) still no public 3G, both of which – though not the sole access points for internet – do restrict internet access and, ultimately, symbolise the mess that Thailand’s mobile and technology sector in general is in.

Disproportionate

As the recent Singapore elections showed, online influence and share of voice do not necessarily correspondent to country-wide opinion or trends and, in Thailand, where a far lower proportion of the population uses the internet or social media, this digital-real life disconnect is wider still.

A large proportion of Thai ‘netizens’ based in Bangkok (36% if you believe Truehits‘ data) which gives the city (with an estimated metro population is 12 million of Thailand’s 67 million plus total population) an overly disproportionate representation.

Then when you broadly consider that many poorer citizens in Thailand are unable to afford a PC or fixed internet access – which no available on prepay terms – the country’s online population is further skewed. Though smartphones and increasing feature-led devices at affordable price points will, in time, provide greater access to those unable to get online today.

Niche

While Twitter is rumoured to have less than a million users in Thailand, Facebook is fast moving towards 10 million members in Thailand which makes it a significant potential platform to communicate through, however these do pale into the background compared to the circulation numbers and TV and radio audiences which more traditional press enjoy.

That said, Facebook remains important, proof of which comes from the government’s cyber scout initiative which, as explained in this AFP story, sees volunteers scour the web for inappropriate content or comments that violate Thailand’s increasingly strict online freedom of expression laws.

Lack of interest

Increasing young Thais are disinterested in politics, as my colleagues at Siam Voices wrote last year, and the bare facts can be bound in even clearer detail on Twitter where boring politicians must compete with trendy young celebs for the attention of the youth.

A look at Twopcharts, which curates Twitter data, and its Bangkok page shows that celebrities, gossip and entertainment type accounts are the most popular with Democrat MP Korn.

Note [at]Abhisit_PM is not on the list as it is located in “Thailand” not “Bangkok”

**Takeovers** · 21-05-2011, 08:15 PM

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

I think you didn't read what I wrote accurately. Maybe trying to re-read it might enable you to draw the correct meaning behind the post.

OK I reread it and do get now what you were aiming at. But I had read quite carefully what you wrote.

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

It was at the very least rhetorical. Just trying to call Calgary's bluff.....and it appears to have worked. Shocker!

Rhetorical or not, the statement I refered to about "their own military" is hilarious.

As I wrote before like you I also don't see a real investigation in the cards after a Puea Thai win.
This is IMO simply because of the power of the army to avert it happening. They would not challenge the army that way.

**DroversDog** · 21-05-2011, 08:50 PM

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

^ What? Have you taken leave of your senses?

Do you have no clue as to how things work here?

So no opposing argument other then some crap about not know how things work. You are sounding more and more thaivisa everyday.

**sabang** · 21-05-2011, 08:54 PM

Originally Posted by Buksida

What is so good about a free card anyway?

For the farmers, the ability to finance their fertiliser purchases etc at lower interest rates.

**DroversDog** · 21-05-2011, 09:04 PM

Originally Posted by Buksida

Originally Posted by DroversDog

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

^ Care to explain why?

If PT does not win the majority and needs to form a coalition government with other smaller parties that want bygones be bygones, it is likely that the demands of the Redshirt to uncover the April May crackdown will be neglected.

Let's start with this. Unless the smaller party for PT to form a coalition with is the Democrat party the May crackdown will not be swept under the carpet. There is only one person who will stop them seeking retribution. Politically it is benefical to PT to chase the Democrat party out of town with investigations into not only the crackdown but also the closeness to the judiciary etc.

In other words if PT get into power there is no point investigating, because they have what they want.

Will the red shirts accept being used in this way?

Judging by our red supporters here, it seems they are happy to forget the killings and talk of class struggle. The main thing is for PT to gain power.

It is only the voteless democrats here that have any suggestion of forget the killings.
There is every benefit for PT to put pressure on their main rival. You seem to think that winning the election is the only thing PT are interested. They are also very interested in re-balancing the public service, police, judiciary and the armed forces with people that are more PT friendly. The DSI would be a good place to start.

**Butterfly** · 21-05-2011, 09:06 PM

"heww, what's that smell ?"

**DroversDog** · 21-05-2011, 09:06 PM

Originally Posted by Butterfly

Originally Posted by DroversDog

What a load of piffel....

truth hurts, doesn't it ? nutter,

Truth? Bum Bandit!

**DroversDog** · 21-05-2011, 09:10 PM

Originally Posted by Buksida

Any thoughts on the article from other members? Is it fair to provide such accurate detail on Thaksin's HR record or is it just boring?

It is boring when it leaves out the details and just blames it on Thaksin.

**DroversDog** · 21-05-2011, 09:13 PM

Originally Posted by Butterfly

"heww, what's that smell ?"

Tell your mate to use the bum gun properly next time.

**Buksida** · 21-05-2011, 09:22 PM

Originally Posted by baldrick

Originally Posted by Calgary

It is a proposed credit card system for farmers to give them better access to fertilizers, chemicals etc.

and taxi drivers and motocy taxis to pay for fuel

Could be a handy tool around election time.

**DroversDog** · 21-05-2011, 09:30 PM

Originally Posted by Buksida

Originally Posted by baldrick

Originally Posted by Calgary

It is a proposed credit card system for farmers to give them better access to fertilizers, chemicals etc.

and taxi drivers and motocy taxis to pay for fuel

Could be a handy tool around election time.

There seems to be a few freebees going around. The other half just filled out an application for free fish to put in our ponds.

**Buksida** · 21-05-2011, 09:42 PM

Originally Posted by DroversDog

You seem to think that winning the election is the only thing PT are interested. They are also very interested in re-balancing the public service, police, judiciary and the armed forces with people that are more PT friendly. The DSI would be a good place to start.

That's interesting, they want have ppl in the judiciary, public service, police and military that are 'PT friendly'.

Do you realize that these bodies are supposed to be indepedent of political parties?

For example putting ppl in the judiciary who are 'PT freindly' is straight out corruption.

I suggest you read up on the concept of 'seperation of powers'.

It may be a good topic for your high school debating team.

**Buksida** · 21-05-2011, 09:56 PM

The article on social media is laugh.

'Abhisit DP' is that a reference to a deal struck between the army and PT?

Maybe Poo-Yingluck knows the answer. I wonder who realised her name was shit?

**sabang** · 21-05-2011, 10:10 PM

Originally Posted by Buksida

I suggest you read up on the concept of 'seperation of powers'.

I suggest Thailand does. One of the first things the Army did after the coup was disband the Constitutional court, and appoint a compliant kangaroo tribunal in it's place. Their conviction record since then speaks for itself, even if we didn't have those embarassing Youtubes.

**SteveCM** · 21-05-2011, 10:19 PM

Originally Posted by Buksida

.....high school debating team

I doubt the following qualifies for anything above a kindergarten bickerfest

Originally Posted by Buksida

Maybe Poo-Yingluck knows the answer. I wonder who realised her name was shit?

**DroversDog** · 21-05-2011, 10:36 PM

Originally Posted by Buksida

Originally Posted by DroversDog

You seem to think that winning the election is the only thing PT are interested. They are also very interested in re-balancing the public service, police, judiciary and the armed forces with people that are more PT friendly. The DSI would be a good place to start.

For example putting ppl in the judiciary who are 'PT freindly' is straight out corruption.

The current judiciary is flat out corrupt and Democrat friendly as it is. Putting it back near the middle will be a nice start.

Originally Posted by Buksida

I suggest you read up on the concept of 'seperation of powers'.

There currently is no separation of power in Thailand. Maybe you should first do some reading of the current Thai constitution and work out who selects the judiciary and who the judiciary selects. Do you really think the current judiciary is unbiased?

Originally Posted by Buksida

It may be a good topic for your high school debating team.

You might want to keep that thought for when you go to high school.

**Buksida** · 21-05-2011, 10:46 PM

Originally Posted by sabang

Originally Posted by Buksida

I suggest you read up on the concept of 'seperation of powers'.

I suggest Thailand does. One of the first things the Army did after the coup was disband the Constitutional court, and appoint a compliant kangaroo tribunal in it's place. Their conviction record since then speaks for itself, even if we didn't have those embarassing Youtubes.

After tearing up the constitution, there wasn't much point in the army keeping it's court.

Was it the tribunal that Thaksin's lawyers took the lunchbox with 2m to? No wonder all the cases are going against him, that's an insulting amount when they've seized 76b.

**Buksida** · 21-05-2011, 10:55 PM

Originally Posted by DroversDog

Originally Posted by Buksida

Originally Posted by DroversDog

You seem to think that winning the election is the only thing PT are interested. They are also very interested in re-balancing the public service, police, judiciary and the armed forces with people that are more PT friendly. The DSI would be a good place to start.

For example putting ppl in the judiciary who are 'PT freindly' is straight out corruption.

The current judiciary is flat out corrupt and Democrat friendly as it is. Putting it back near the middle will be a nice start.

Originally Posted by Buksida

I suggest you read up on the concept of 'seperation of powers'.

There currently is no separation of power in Thailand. Maybe you should first do some reading of the current Thai constitution and work out who selects the judiciary and who the judiciary selects. Do you really think the current judiciary is unbiased?

Of course I don't think the judiciary is clean and unbiased. The point is claiming a PTs platform is to put 'freindly ppl' in the judiciary is blatantly corrupt.

Have they actually said this is their policy, or do you just think it is?

**Buksida** · 21-05-2011, 11:13 PM

Originally Posted by sabang

Originally Posted by Buksida

What is so good about a free card anyway?

For the farmers, the ability to finance their fertiliser purchases etc at lower interest rates.

I have in laws who like to farm, thy're interested in details of the policy. Does PT have available?

**DroversDog** · 21-05-2011, 11:15 PM

Originally Posted by Buksida

Originally Posted by DroversDog

Originally Posted by Buksida

Originally Posted by DroversDog

You seem to think that winning the election is the only thing PT are interested. They are also very interested in re-balancing the public service, police, judiciary and the armed forces with people that are more PT friendly. The DSI would be a good place to start.

For example putting ppl in the judiciary who are 'PT freindly' is straight out corruption.

The current judiciary is flat out corrupt and Democrat friendly as it is. Putting it back near the middle will be a nice start.

Originally Posted by Buksida

I suggest you read up on the concept of 'seperation of powers'.

There currently is no separation of power in Thailand. Maybe you should first do some reading of the current Thai constitution and work out who selects the judiciary and who the judiciary selects. Do you really think the current judiciary is unbiased?

Of course I don't think the judiciary is clean and unbiased. The point is claiming a PTs platform is to be 'freindly ppl' in the judiciary is blatantly corrupt.

Have they actually said this is their policy, or do you just think it is?

It is certainly a focus of the reds to fix double standards in the courts. It is also in PT's interest to do so. PT will not be able to directly influence the judiciary as they will first have to deal with the senate. Though a refurbished DSI could investigate issues such as the video scandal.

I don't think they will make the Samak and Somchai mistake this time of treading lightly.

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