Thread: Thai elections 2011-Thai PM sets stage for tough election

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Wow, more evidence, as if any were needed, that you are definitely on the lowest rung of the ladder when it comes to intellectual ability. Paranoid much?

don't even engage him, he is some bottom feeder English teacher scum

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

I've known TH for many years, only in an online capacity, and we haven't always seen eye-to-eye. Do I always agree with him? No. Does he always agree with me? I'm sure he doesn't. I do have respect for his opinion though. You should too.

again your long rant to address him is misplaced, you can tell immediately by his posting style that he is some kind of psycho American nutter in search of a worthwhile cause

^ Fair enough BF. He is definitely on some sort of mission and is rather bizarre to say the least, but I am a generous person by nature and tend to reply, when sometimes perhaps I shouldn't

Thai-ASEAN News Network

Reds Disrupt Abhisit's Campaign in Korat

UPDATE : 9 June 2011

Today, Democrat Leader Abhisit Vejjajiva is campaigning in Nakorn Ratchasima. Throughout his campaign route, reports indicate that his campaigning has been disrupted amidst his attempts to try and sway red shirt supporters' opinions of him.

Originally Posted by DroversDog

Your not East German are you? Or maybe a female Chinese swimmer with shoulders 3 times wider then her waist?

I am not talking internationally competitive top athletes. I am talking about millions of youth knowing where to go and exert some exercise to pass time. Instead of gambling, booze and drugs.

Thai-ASEAN News Network

Army Denies Hidden Agenda Behind Anti-drug Drive

UPDATE : 9 June 2011

The army spokesman reaffirms the military's neutral position, saying that anti-drug Operation 315 is merely to handle the drug issue.

Army spokesman Colonel Sansern Keawkamnerd said Operation 315 is a joint anti-drug effort by the army, police and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board.

He insisted the operation was launched since April 26 and its goal is to crack down on drug trafficking throughout the country, not to intervene in the July 3 election.

Sansern strongly denied the accusation that the army is canvassing for the Democrat Party through Operation 315.


He assured that the rumor came after a Pheu Thai MP candidate obstructed the operation on May 23.

Sansern said Pairoj Issara, the Pheu Thai MP candidate, accused the operation's staff of being canvassers for the Democrats when they distributed leaflets to educate people about drug problems in Bangkok's Nong Jok District on June 7.

He claimed Pairoj also threatened to use force against the campaigning soldiers.

Consequently, Sansern reported the incident to his commanders and they have ordered a criminal complaint filed against Pairoj for obstructing officers on duty.

Bangkok Post : Sanoh gungho for Yingluck as PM

Sanoh gungho for Yingluck as PM

• Published: 9/06/2011 at 11:31 AM
• Online news:

The Pheu Thai Party will win the July 3 election and Yingluck Shinawatra, the top party list candidate, will become the next prime minister, Sanoh Thienthong, a party list candidate of the opposition camp, predicted on Thursday.


Pheu Thai top party list candidate Yingluck Shinawatra (left) and veteran politician Sanoh Thienthong (Photo by Phrakrit Juntawong)

The veteran politician said his confidence of winning was based on the large number of people who had welcomed Pheu Thai’s election campaigns in various provinces.

“If we win the election, but the number of its MPs is not enough to form a one-party-government, another political party will join forces with Pheu Thai in a coalition,” Mr Sanoh said.

Mr Sanoh admitted that he had approached another party about forming a coalition administration after the election. He refused to give details.

He said even if anything bad happens to fugitive former prime minister Thaksin, the Pheu Thai Party will continue to exist.

Thai Election Looms As Instability Dents Confidence In Economy - WSJ.com

JUNE 9, 2011, 3:30 A.M. ET

Thai Election Looms As Instability Dents Confidence In Economy

By PHISANU PHROMCHANYA

BANGKOK—As Thailand prepares for a national election, persistent political instability is threatening to further dent confidence in Southeast Asia's second-largest economy as it struggles to keep pace with its neighbors.

Thailand rebounded after its last round of unrest last year, when clashes between the military and antigovernment protesters left more than 90 people dead.

Global investors have poured money into emerging markets, and despite Thailand's political struggles, gross domestic product growth hit 7.8% for 2010, and the benchmark Stock Exchange of Thailand index rose 41% last year. However, the exchange is now down nearly 3% in 2011 amid foreigners' rising concerns about the coming vote. Tourism has largely recovered, and the Thai currency, the baht, has strengthened.


Reuters Yingluck Shinawatra, the sister of toppled former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra and the prime ministerial candidate for the country's biggest opposition For Thai Party, greets her supporters during an election campaign in Nong Khai province, east of Bangkok,earlier this week.

The July 3 election is expected to be a close race between the ruling Democrat Party and the opposition For Thais Party, backed by exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and by many of the protesters who occupied parts of Bangkok last year. Neither party is expected to win in a landslide, however, which could leave the government in limbo.

Both parties are seen as eager to attract foreign investment, and have campaigned on populist platforms, including improvements in public welfare, higher minimum wages, easier access to credit, and lower taxes.

Either party would likely need to tie up with smaller parties to secure enough parliamentary seats to form a stable government. But even if that happens, many analysts say the losers will challenge the result, either by launching street protests or taking other steps to undermine the new government. In a worst-case scenario, analysts say, violence could erupt again.

Thailand has struggled to attract foreign direct investment, suggesting investors still worry about its longer-term outlook. According to the Bank of Thailand, net FDI peaked at $10.48 billion in 2006, when many of Thailand's latest political troubles began, and kept falling to $4.44 billion in 2010. In the first three months of this year, net FDI amounted to just $69.5 million. Many analysts say they expect further turbulence ahead.

"Regardless of who forms the new government, there will likely be a political mess that would dampen investors' confidence and investment climate," said Kobsidthi Silpachai, head of Capital Markets Research at Kasikornbank, a Thai bank. "Politics has become Thailand's structural problem and it is clearly another key factor that will likely keep FDI away," he said.

"There is a significant risk that the outcome will not be accepted by large sections of the population," Capital Economics, a global economic research consultancy, said in a recent research note.

For equity, bond and currency markets, all that might not be a huge problem, so long as the turbulence doesn't turn into widespread street fighting. Many investors with existing exposure to Thai markets have a high tolerance for risk there, given the country's history of political trouble. With returns in more-developed economies weak, many market participants may decide to ride out the trouble in Thailand in hopes that long-term growth will still be better than places like Europe or North America.

Historical data show that in times of escalating political risk, bonds and the Thai baht have largely gained in the short run.

"Mapping periods of escalated political risk against various market prices since 2006, local government bonds appear to be a safe harbor," said Su Sian Lim, a regional economist at RBS in Singapore. "In seven out of eight episodes, 10-year yields have tended to dip immediately post-unrest. Somewhat surprisingly, gains have also been seen in the baht in the short-term, albeit not as consistently."

"For those with long-term horizons, a buy-on-weakness strategy is worth considering should there be a wobble in the baht or stock market," she added.

But when it comes to big capital investments in factories, infrastructure and other businesses, all of which are needed to sustain economic growth in future years, the picture is darker, with any kind of unrest likely prompting foreign investors to delay or shelve significant FDI, analysts say. That, in turn, could result in weaker GDP growth in the years ahead, which ultimately could lead Thai markets to underperform versus their peers.

Thailand has at least attracted a few major investments over the past year, notably a $450 million Ford Motor Co. outlay to build a new passenger-car plant announced last June.

But those plans have largely been overshadowed by announcements elsewhere in the region. Last August, for instance, South Korea's Posco said it is setting up a joint venture with a local company in Indonesia to build a multibillion-dollar steel plant there. Google Inc. said in January it was opening a new office in Malaysia, its first new Asia office in four years, as part of a push to expand its presence in Southeast Asia.

Various domestic polls suggest the popularity of For Thais, led by Mr. Thaksin's youngest sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, has been on the rise. Ms. Yingluck is generally viewed as a nominee of her brother, Mr. Thaksin, who currently lives in self-exile in Dubai to evade a prison sentence after he was convicted of corruption and abuse of power—charges that he denies and says were politically motivated.

After more than two years in power, the popularity of the Democrat Party, led by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, has been undermined by a number of corruption allegations, inefficient aid after floods struck parts of the country last year, and an ineffective attempt to control prices of goods such as palm oil and eggs.

If the For Thais Party secures enough votes to form a government, the party would likely push to offer amnesty to all politicians convicted after the 2006 coup that ousted Mr. Thaksin as a means toward reconciliation, but also widely viewed as paving the way for him to return home, and possibly to power.

Any effort to push for such an amnesty could spark an angry response from anti-Thaksin groups and inspire them to return to the streets again as they did in 2007 and 2008 when two previous nominees of Mr. Thaksin were named prime minister, only to be forced to step down following court rulings on different cases.

On the other hand, if the Democrat Party secures sufficient seats to form a coalition government, political activists linked with Mr. Thaksin could protest again. Last year they demanded that Mr. Abhisit step down and call a snap election, ultimately leading to a bloody military crackdown.

Thai-ASEAN News Network



Pheu Thai PM Candidate Defends MP Candidate's Action

UPDATE : 9 June 2011

The Pheu Thai Party's prime ministerial candidate says she believes her party's MP candidate did not threaten an Army anti-narcotics unit as accused by the Army spokesman.

Pheu Thai's number one party-list MP candidate Yingluck Shinawatra said she will hold a press conference today to clarify the Army spokesman's accusation that her party's MP candidate in Bangkok, Pairoj Issaraseripong, threatened its anti-narcotic unit with a gun.

The party had earlier claimed the 315 anti-narcotic unit of the Army is tasked with disrupting the party's campaigning.


Yingluck said she believed the accusation is not true and that Pairoj should be given the chance to provide his side of the story.

She said the matter will not lead to her party's dispute with the Army.

Yingluck added her plan to seek a meeting with the Army chief has nothing special other than an effort to seek advice from a senior figure.

She said she is not surprised by the latter's rejection of her invitation to meet as she understands he must be politically neutral during this time when political campaigning is in full swing.

Yingluck, along with Pheu Thai's MP candidates for Bangkok constituencies, today visited Nopparat Hospital in Kannayao district.

Yingluck highlighted her party's core policy of reviving the 30 baht-universal healthcare scheme, introduced by her brother and fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

During her visit, a kidney patient named Dao Chumnumpol asked Yingluck to replace the current free medical service with the 30-baht universal healthcare scheme.

She said the free medical service does not really work and has a complicated process.

Yingluck said her visit at the hospital received good response, but accepted it caused some inconveniences to patients.

She then maintained her party's populist campaign policies will not worsen inflation as they will serve as tools to spur spending and combat inflation at the same time.

Thai-ASEAN News Network

Money Flows Out As Politics Heat Up

UPDATE : 9 June 2011

The election contest is becoming increasingly intense as the voting day approaches. Smear campaigns and dirty tricks are starting to emerge. Petitions were filed over destruction of campaign materials. No conclusion has been reached in an inquiry into inappropriate campaign banners featuring animal characters, as it remains undecided whether the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration or the Electoral Commission has the authority to order a removal of the said banners.

Some candidates attached a 100-baht banknote in their campaign pamphlets. Party leaders and key members are keeping a close eye on strategies adopted by rival parties to plan counterattack in hopes of increasing or at least maintaining their voter bases and popularity.

There was also a significant movement in the capital market as a huge amount of money flowed out of the country over the past month due to a big sell-off by foreign investors who were concerned about Thailand's political situation. At the same time, major US financial institutions like Goldman and Morgan Stanley advised their clients to delay investing in Thailand due to a grim outlook of the Thai economy.

Both American firms said the weak economic growth, rising inflation and political uncertainty have made the Thai market less attractive as risks are higher. Among other concerns were the post-election political situation, interest rate hike by the central bank to fight inflation and a lackluster performance of listed companies.

Meanwhile, the World Bank criticized the policies of Thai political parties which focus on raising personal income and investment in infrastructure projects, saying that they may cause inflation to rise even further. More money will be spent and prices will increase in line with the rising demand as people have more income.

However, inflation is not expected to spiral out of control nor will it exceed the maximum sustainable level in the latter half of the year.

That is based on the assumption that the government does not create more public debts or allow the trade deficit to grow. It would be unwise for the government to keep on with its borrowing spree. Whichever political party is elected into office is obliged to keep inflation in check.

Today, Thailand's economic growth is still healthy, but the future is difficult to foresee as there are various external factors in the play, from the Europe debt crisis, rising global oil prices, and China's austerity measures to slow down its accelerating economy. Although these factors cannot be controlled, it is advisable that the incoming government take them into consideration when implementing any policies. It has to stop piling up problems and put a plug on spending sprees.

Editorial, Krungthep Turakij, Page 2, June 9th, 2011
Translated and rewritten by Wacharapol Isaranont

Please note that the views expressed in our "Analysis" segment are translated from local newspaper articles and do not reflect the views of the Thai-ASEAN News Network.

Defaced Democrat Poster

Posted on June 9, 2011 by admin


(Photo: 2Bangkok.com)
The sign reads: The Democrat Party moves on with the populist policy – Thana Cheeravinit, the constituency MP candidate for zone 6, Dindaeng, Phyathai
[the red words on Abhisit's face reads "tyrant"]

it's funny seeing the reds making those tyrant claims, and yet support a known tyrant

the irony is completely lost on them, the poor souls

shouldn't be allowed to vote, for being too dumb

Originally Posted by Butterfly

the poor soul shouldn't be allowed to post for being too dumb

The mods could and should apply that rule to your stupid posts!

Thai PM slams rivals' Thaksin 'whitewash'

AlJazeeraEnglish




Uploaded by AlJazeeraEnglish on Jun 8, 2011


Abhisit Vejjajiva, Thailand's caretaker prime minister, has told Al Jazeera that investigations into last year's political violence have been too slow.

The clashes between security forces and anti-government protesters in Bangkok in 2010 left several people dead and hundreds injured.

Vejjajiva has been negotiating with the main opposition party about working together ahead of next month's general election amid fears of more unrest.

Abhisit is in the midst of a tough electoral battle against Thaksin Shinawatra's allies in the Puea Thai party, who want an amnesty for politicians who have been charged or convicted if they win the July 3 vote.

The opposition is accused of inflaming political tensions by "whitewashing" the crimes of their de facto leader, Shinawatra.

Al Jazeera's Wayne Hay reports from Bangkok.

Thai Prices at 32-Month High ‘Must be Free,’ Yingluck Says - Businessweek

Thai Prices at 32-Month High ‘Must be Free,’ Yingluck Says

June 09, 2011, 2:18 AM EDT

By Daniel Ten Kate and Suttinee Yuvejwattana
(Updates markets in sixth paragraph.)

June 9 (Bloomberg) -- Thailand’s opposition Pheu Thai party, leading in polls before a July 3 election, favors letting prices of consumer goods move freely as the country faces inflation at a 32-month high, according to its leader Yingluck Shinawatra.

The party isn’t “afraid of the pricing inflation,” Yingluck, the sister of fugitive ex-leader Thaksin Shinawatra, said in an interview as she campaigned in Bangkok yesterday. “The price must be free and the price must not be monopolized by anyone.”

Consumer prices may jump as much as one percentage point once the government removes oil subsidies, Bank of Thailand Governor Prasarn Trairatvorakul said April 12. Thailand’s central bank has raised interest rates seven times in the past year to counter accelerating inflation.

“If they go in one shot obviously it hurts the pockets of consumers and we might see some short term adjustment,” Wellian Wiranto, a Singapore-based economist at HSBC Holdings Plc., said of removing the controls by phone today. “The underlying thing is if they have strong growth and strong income growth, then that should cancel out.”

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has capped diesel tariffs and applied price controls to items such as eggs and cooking oil to shield Thailand’s 67 million people from inflation, which surged to 4.19 percent in May.

Stocks Fall

Thai stocks fell 1.1 percent as of the mid-day break, putting the benchmark SET Index on pace to extend its longest- losing streak in more than a year following downgrades on concerns about the election. About 100 people have been killed following disputes over the last election in 2007 won by Thaksin’s allies.

The Pheu Thai party aims to reassess the value chain and eliminate monopolies to ensure prices move according to supply and demand, prompting them to fall, Yingluck said. It plans to “help a little bit” to reduce oil prices by adjusting the excise tax in times of economic duress, she said.

“If in the future the economy is getting better, we have to adjust back to normal so we don’t interfere and cap the price,” she said, without specifying whether she would lift any other price controls.
‘Remove Subsidies’

“It doesn’t seem to be realistic to remove subsidies in Thailand at this stage,” Hideki Hayashi, a global economist at Mizuho Securities Co. in Tokyo, said by phone. “With such political instability, the country was able to grow because it’s a society where poor people can still afford to buy food, drinks and other necessities quite cheaply.”

Yingluck would become Thailand’s first-ever female leader if Pheu Thai forms a government. She resigned as chief executive officer of property developer SC Asset Corp. last month to participate in the election and was formerly president of Advanced Info Service Pcl, a mobile-phone company founded by Thaksin that is now Thailand’s biggest.

Thailand is “really behind in terms of infrastructure and technology,” Yingluck said, calling for bidding on third- generation mobile-phone licenses to take place quickly after the establishment of a telecommunications regulator.

Pheu Thai

Pheu Thai is the latest incarnation of parties loyal to Thaksin that have won the past four elections, with the last three results being overturned by court rulings and the 2006 coup that toppled Thaksin from power. He has directed party affairs from overseas since fleeing a 2008 jail sentence for abuse of power.

Abhisit has promised to raise the minimum wage by 25 percent, give cash to the elderly and guarantee farmers’ incomes to appeal to voters loyal to Thaksin. Yingluck’s party also plans variations of the same policies.

“The first thing I would do is help people in terms of economics,” she said. “People are suffering, especially in terms of finding sources of income.”

Pheu Thai would win 43 percent of the vote if elections were held now, compared with 37 percent for the Democrat party, according to a Dusit Poll that surveyed 4,694 people from May 23 to May 28.

‘Necessary Action’

The central bank raised the benchmark rate to 3 percent last week and said it “stands ready to take necessary action” against inflationary pressures. Thailand’s gross domestic product climbed 2 percent in the first quarter from the previous three months, the fastest pace in a year. Growth in 2011 may exceed the central bank’s 4.1 percent forecast, the central bank’s Assistant Governor Paiboon Kittisrikangwan said last week.

Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. downgraded the nation’s equities this week on concern over the election, inflation and increased valuations. Overseas investors yesterday sold 6.31 billion baht ($207.8 million) more of Thai stocks than they bought, a fifth straight day of withdrawals that boosted the total outflow in June to 13.9 billion baht, according to data from the Stock Exchange of Thailand.

“That’s that fear of ‘Oh God, what could happen?’” Andrew Stotz, a strategist at Kim Eng Securities (Thailand) Pcl, the nation’s largest stock brokerage, said in an interview today. “You’ve got to be careful not to get too caught up in that fear. The fundamentals of Thailand are not bad.”

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Abhisit Vejjajiva, Thailand's caretaker prime minister, has told Al Jazeera that investigations into last year's political violence have been too slow.

would not an effective PM address this ?

Originally Posted by Mid

Quote: Originally Posted by StrontiumDog Abhisit Vejjajiva, Thailand's caretaker prime minister, has told Al Jazeera that investigations into last year's political violence have been too slow. would not an effective PM address this ?

Of course but only if it suited him, his party and of course he and his cohorts had absolutely nothing to hide. On the other hand it may suit matters better if it's dragged on and on and certainly past July 3rd!

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

.... I've known TH for many years and he isn't a government stooge.

Okay?
....

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

....I've known TH for many years, only in an online capacity,....

Qualification noted. So - no personal/first-hand knowledge of TH whatever.

Okay.

^ Ah, so you do reply to my posts....when it is to have some dig or attempt to discredit me...nice. Otherwise you just ignore me.

Got the measure of you then Steve...

As you would no doubt say, "noted".

TAN_Network TAN News Network

Media cars in PM's entourage crashed into truck in Saraburi, 2 ASTV journalists injured with 1 in critical condition



yfrog Photo : http://yfrog.com/hslh3slj Shared by ThaiElection11

^ Steve doesn't respond to posts on HR rights abuses by Thaksin, except to give the odd 'Yawn', so I suppose he finds them boring.

He lives in a simple world with clear cut lines, thinking that those residing in Bangkok have never left the capital and know nothing of rural Thailand.

He reads blogs and has his finger on the pulse. If there is something exciting on the news, his mrs translates it - he never misses a beat.

Stevie doesn't answer to anything, he is the chosen God of the Reds cause

Originally Posted by SteveCM

Qualification noted. So - no personal/first-hand knowledge of TH whatever.

Personally I'd call that a result.

Do you think "SD" does the lottery? if not he should do.

Bangkok Post : Observers: Bleak future after election

Observers: Bleak future after election

• Published: 9/06/2011 at 06:09 PM
• Online news: Local News

Thailand’s prospects in the post-election remained bleak as either form of coalition government leading by Pheu Thai or Democrat would be shaken by rival undercurrent pressure groups after some three-month honey moon period, according to political observers.

Pichien Amnatvoraprasert, member of the coup-appointed Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA), said a coalition government was inevitable and Pheu Thai had a good chance of joining hands of Chatthaipattana and Chart Pattana Puea Pandin.

The honey-moon period would probably last till this October as more dissents and legal wrangling would be gradually unwound, said Mr Pichien.

Apart from the revealing scrutiny efforts on her perjury about her brother’s asset, the leading Pheu Thai candidate, Yingluck Shinawatra, would likely to face other legally-questionable asset-hiding issues concerning the company she used to manage such as SC Asset, when the poll date was approaching, he said.

Mr Pichien was speaking at the forum organized at Thammasat University by October Generation for Democracy Club this afternoon on “Thailand’s Future: Better or Worse?”

He noted that the Abhisit administration has disappointed people as socio-economic woes were increasing in the past two years.

“The gross domestic product (GDP) is about 4.5 per cent this year while in the post-1997 crisis Thailand saw some seven per cent GDP growth. Cost of living and unemployment rates are high. The grass-root economy is not as good as the large corporations have been enjoying. The social divisions are also still running deep,” said the 2007 Constitution drafter.

With the yellow/red card given to the politicians on the winning Pheu Thai sides, re-election would emerge soon, “Of course, some red-shirt core leaders will get the windfall of possible Pheu Thai victory, but the amnesty efforts for Thaksin Shinawatra will shake the political landscape of Thailand again. That may lead to political conflicts and also possible violence, if all sides do not handle it well,” said Mr Pichien.

He suggested that the constitution be amended in a way that paving for the non-party member candidature, so that middle class and commoners could “play” their own politics, not “elite and financial sponsor” politics.

Kasetsart University’s lecturer Prayoon Akraboworn said all politicians were now luring voters with the populist policies that would exhaust the country’s future budget unchecked.

“Politicians have very little responsibility to the society, they just want to win. It seems either Pheu Thai or Democrat will unlikely to do any good to the country,” said Mr Prayoon, who declared himself supporter to the yellow-shirt People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD).

He said the amnesty efforts would stir up the instability in the country but it seemed inevitable.

“Double standard is everywhere. After all, the next government must have to pardon for all sides--the Yellow and the Red as well as the military. But the only case that will create more troubles is Thaksin amnesty,” said Mr Prayoon.

Mr Boonchai Rungruengpaisansuk, chair of the anti-transportation fare network, said his dismay with the politicians remained even though Thaksin was no longer in power.

“The Democrat Party does not seem to take our proposal (one-day standard price for all modes of mass transportation) seriously. There are even more collusion in corruptions such as the case of palm oil hordes. Our network will bring the case on power abuse to the administrative court soon,” said Mr Boonchai.