Politics

Stalemate is Better than Concession

Posted on 31st Aug 2023 by Chakers in Thailand.

The turmoil in Bangkok's National Assembly is pretty common knowledge. The people elected one party, the Move Forward Party, and yet again the elite and Yellow Shirt leaders who are largely unelected have opposed the MFP leader Limjaroenrat, otherwise known rather unfortunately as Pita, bid to be Prime Minister. Yet another smash and grab by the hi-so and 'top business in the pocket' ministers. A shameful disregard for due process. No I'm not mincing words the minority Yellow Phue Thai tried last time and lost to Yingluck so persuaded the Generals to impose a Junta. So now there is a stalemate and no PM and no Moving Foward. Nobody should...

Military Coups

Posted on 15th Feb 2021 by Chakers in Thailand.

SEA is used to the Military taking control of their countries. All 11 countries have had it happen and most more than once. Sometimes it has been low key with little or no fuss. Sometimes it has led to bitter Civil War at the profit or expense of surrounding nations. But never has it been more volatile than right now in Burma. The Thai Government are concerned about it, the Thai people are worried about it, China is doing nothing about it, and Myanmar is so far off to dictatorial right wing it rivals North Korea. It is ridiculous to suggest the election was rigged. The trumped up charges against Aung San Suu Kyi fool no one. Illegal PMR...

What do you want?

Posted on 24th Mar 2019 by Chakers in Thailand.

The votes are in and being counted. Parties have been outlawed by the Military and members are all standing as independents. In Bangkok Lak Si there are 81 standing for selection. That's what happens when there is no party selection. It's a free for all. And every single one of those 81 are in it for themselves. Not one of them cares about politics or people or constituencies. They are in it to line their own pockets. This was not a good plan for an election. I can understand it. The last time there was a majority Government TRT won but the coalition of PTP led by Yingluck Shinawatra was big enough to both assemble a Government and abuse...

The Great Rice Scandal

Posted on 25th Aug 2017 by Chakers in Thailand.

Yingluck Shinawatra had everything and yet she didn't know it. She made no secret of her admiration for Aung San Suu Kyi the Burma Prime Minister, hero worshipped Nelson Mandela the late President of South Africa and held Barack Obama former President of the USA in the highest esteem. Yingluck, nickname Pu, saw them as principled, leaders of the peoples, possessing no limits on the price they were willing to pay for those in poverty. Pu swept to an inevitable victory in the 2011 Thai free election on a mandate of reducing business tax and policies to eradicate poverty especially in Isan. She had more than 20 million supporters, a third of...

Silenced

Posted on 11th May 2017 by Chakers in Thailand.

Creepy. Eerie. A 'not quite' silence that whispers "Junta". Nobody wants to talk politics. Mention the Government and you can see in their faces a wantonness. But they do not know what to say. In a restaurant the owner looked fleetingly around as if there may be microphones or cameras, Big Brother, keeping an eye on them so they do not say anything subversive. It is still the same Thailand, the same people, the same Government. It is still the Land of Smiles but there is a sense of trepidation among the 'natives'. That if you say anything remotely political that the Junta do not like you will be rounded up and charged under Section 112....

11th Military Coup

Posted on 20th May 2014 by Chakers in Thailand.

Thai politics is fraught with Asian culture and incomprehensible procedure and many will look upon the military intervention with disdain, yet again. But the sequence of events are, as I previously said, just inevitable. Today's Military intervention started back in December 2013 when Yingluck refused to bow to pressure from all sides for political reform because of her gun to the head policy of coalition not PR. I have no personal axe because I have no right to vote but PR is not the way to achieve a democratically elected parliament because your vote is for who you'd like to have if you can't have the one you want. Ms. Yingluck...

Yinglucks Subjugation

Posted on 8th May 2014 by Chakers in Thailand.

So she has finally resigned. I'm not sure what it is that she has resigned from: Politics maybe? The abuse? The wild accusations possibly, but no, I think Yingluck has had enough and decided the bullying Yellows and tyrannical opposition ministers are more than she wants to have to deal with. These are not businessmen; these are the power piranha. No other PM in history has had to put up with as much as she has. In three years of office she has been referred to the Ethics Committee no less than 77 times. That is once every fortnight. Unlike any predecessor Yingluck spent more time in court than she did in the PM's office. Amongst...

Yellow Fever

Posted on 15th Feb 2014 by Chakers in Thailand.

Having predicted the riots would get worse; and they did. And having predicted the Yellows would not accept defeat; and they haven't. And most importantly having predicted Yingluck would find herself in a predicament and unable to form a Government; does not make me the Messiah of Thailand. None of these predictions were mine; they were inevitabilities; they were prophesied in all political columns in Thai newspapers. What wasn't foreseen was why and that is kinda' odd considering the whys and wherefores are historical. I suspect only in Thai politics is it possible to see the future but not the past. The PDRC, a group of Yellow shirts...

Gone Fishing

Posted on 14th Feb 2013 by Chakers in Thailand.

There is a period in a farang's life that starts exactly 18 months after his first visit and usually lasts for 12 to 18 months during which he decides he knows enough now to be considered an expert. We all go through it but some are worse than others. I think I realised I was being a prat the first time I explained to a really nice chap from Scotland how to pronounce suay properly and then noticing how bored he was. Unfortunately though, some of these experts never mature into normal people. There used to be a little gang of us who used to play with them for fun but last year Bleak told me he had given up fishing. I was disappointed when...

Let's break the law

Posted on 6th Mar 2011 by Chakers in Thailand.

Complaining about inequality in the law in Thailand is commonplace among the 'farang' who live there. This inequality is so bad that even the tourists are starting to complain about it. I'll give you an example for those not familiar with this problem; If a lone traffic officer is roadside, looking for the occasional misdemeanour such as no seat belt or speeding, and you the tourist are driving with two or three cars driven by Thai's, have a guess which one he is going to flag down? If he stops a Thai it will be a 200 baht fixed penalty notice. He will likely ask the Thai to pay him but the Thai has the option of going to the Police...

Waitresses and English tests

Posted on 31st Dec 2010 by Chakers in Thailand.

We sat down at one of those blue plastic topped flimsy street tables on the front of the outdoor restaurant and the waitress came straight to us, as they always do, and asked what we want with a blue 'stolen from the bookies' type biro in one hand leaning it onto the tear-off rough paper notepad that always constitutes the table order, and waited. And waited. And as usual I couldn't make up my mind what I wanted and the girlfriend and daughter had already fired out theirs in the way Thais do without you even noticing. Either of them always ask me what I am going to have before entering a restaurant. Whilst we are in the car, or sometimes...

Political Correctness

Posted on 15th Jun 2010 by Chakers in Thailand.

Those familiar with Thailand are already laughing. But I am serious. And so is the arrival of the PC Brigade. Yes I appreciate that the Thai expression for a black African is chocolate man, and those who did not know will now be giggling, but Thai say it in all seriousness. A chap at the airport once said to me "Thais are the biggest racists going". He is not wrong because the nannying little minority support group with huge PC clout has convinced the western world that any preference to a particular race is no longer patriotism, it is racism. While transiting through Dubai one year a guy working there said to me in jest "Thai's are...

Political Incorrectness

Posted on 14th Mar 2010 by Chakers in Thailand.

Tis the season of political upheaval in Bangkok and surely doomed to spread across the country rearing its ugly head as it strikes fear into the hearts of the weak and the falang who will no doubt purport the news media desirable headline grabbing stories of gun toting mad Thais going on looting and deliberately anti-social sprees demanding change in their wake. Most will have an opinion whilst completely missing the point of all that is wrong in Thai Politics and if like me you look on from afar, but unlike me, with a sense of disdain or rebuke, then you should go with the flow rather than acquire a sense of terror at the possibility of a...

Hawkers and Beggars

Posted on 30th Dec 2009 by Chakers in Thailand.

New Year already and time once again to consider all the options as a tourist. Since 2007 I have been going to the same destination every year, twice a year. Won't be going twice this year and whilst some have suffered more than others during the recession we are all casualties. It must have been the worst recession on record if the politicians have also had their fiddles cut and while some would think me priviledged to be able to take two holidays a year please remember I can no longer afford it. Not through any fault of my own either. My Income Tax and NI combined went up by more than £200 a month to pay for those who lost their...

A small article about women

Posted on 20th Nov 2009 by Chakers in Thailand.

Not all women. Just the ones that StickmanBangkok refers to in his blog. Let me first of all say I am annoyed with myself because I swore I would not write a blog that contradicts anyone else's. I honestly cannot think of a more cynical Karma in life than to spend hours writing the sort of garbage that NotStickmanBangkok writes. Though again, frustratingly, most of his gripes about StickmanBangkok are right even if he does manage to get confused over Thai employment law. Take for instance NotStickmanBangkoks, we'll call him Keith it'll be much easier, poignant remarks about ad banners that are illegally earning money for StickmanBangkok on...