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Here We Go ... The Shutdown Thread


Flashermac

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Just heard that the going daily rate for one protester is....2500 Baht!!!

 

 

 

Absolute BULL SHIT! I know some of the protesters and they are not getting paid one satang. Have you seen the crowds of people donating money to keep this going? Tell me when you saw that happened to the red shirt. Why do you think Thaksin is so worried?

 

Stop listening to red shirt taxi drivers and foreign "experts" who sit in bars.

 

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Thais Hand Over Cash to Keep Protest Alive

 

by James Hookaway

 

 

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BANGKOK—Thai protesters are tired of vote-buying and other forms of influence peddling in elections here. Now, many of them are handing over large amounts of cash to a firebrand provocateur who aims to do away with next month's ballot entirely.

 

Tens of thousands of people clamored to press wads of Thai baht into Suthep Thaugsuban's hands Thursday as he led a fundraising march through the traffic-clogged streets of Bangkok while his aides stuffed the bank notes into plastic garbage bags.

 

The ostensible goal was to publicize Mr. Suthep's bid to shut down the center of the city next week and force Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to scrap elections set for Feb. 2. But the donations, which over the past few weeks have reached over $1.5 million, according to a spokesman for Mr. Suthep, are vital to keeping the protests going—and they could accelerate a confrontation between the protesters in Mr. Suthep's camp and the millions of poorer, mostly rural Thais who support his rivals in the populist Shinawatra clan.

 

Mr. Suthep, a burly former deputy prime minister, argues that Thailand needs to suspend its democracy and put in place an unelected council to root out the influence of its former leader, Ms. Yingluck's elder brother, Thaksin Shinawatra. Mr. Thaksin was deposed in a military coup over seven years ago, but Mr. Suthep and many other Thais believe he is still secretly running the country from overseas.

 

In Thailand, complaints of vote-buying are loud and frequent, making the sight of ordinary people thrusting bundles of cash into a politician's outstretched hands all the more dramatic.

 

"Mr. Suthep needs the money to keep the protest movement going. He's doing this for us," said Nattanan Thongchil, 50 years old, who waited patiently under the beating sun to hand the protest leader 1,040 baht, or about $30.

 

In a recent interview, Mr. Suthep said that populist, easy-money policies such as tax rebates and multibillion-dollar subsidies enabled the Shinawatras to dominate the country's parliament and push policies designed to further their own private and business interests.

 

"They bought this country by making irresponsible promises," he said.

 

Thai courts, meanwhile, removed a pro-Thaksin government in 2008 for vote-buying.

 

Ms. Yingluck counters that her government's economic policy is designed to boost consumer spending in rural areas. On Thursday, Ms. Yingluck urged anti-government protesters to consider the economic impact of her rivals' months-long protests on the city, which already has seen tourists cancel bookings in what is usually one of busiest times of the year, and put pressure on the broader economy, too.

 

The two sides appear headed for a showdown, stirring speculation that army chief Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha's armed forces may intervene, as they did in 2006 to remove Mr. Thaksin. Gen. Prayuth, while trying to keep out of the latest battle, hasn't ruled out another coup. The growing unease in the capital is compounded by persistent worries over the health of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, now 86 years old, and who has also stepped in to address political conflicts in the past.

 

"The government doesn't have a lot of options to deal with the protesters," said Yuttaporn Issarachai, a political-science professor at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University. "Using force will only cost the government its legitimacy to run the country…But the government also has to be careful that it doesn't end up running a failed state, where protesters can do anything they want and rule of law is completely meaningless."

 

Running a marathon Thai-style rally can be an expensive business. Renting stages and public address systems costs money, and then there is the cost of food and drinks to keep the protesters fed and hydrated for weeks. Some supporters provide support in kind, delivering crates of bottled water and sacks of rice to their main camp near Bangkok's Democracy Monument.

 

There are also welfare funds to support security guards and other volunteers. "It all adds up," says Akanat Promphan, Mr. Suthep's stepson and a former legislator. "We're drawing in lots of donations, so hopefully we can keep going even if there are a few shortages here and there."

 

Many of the people digging into their pockets say they felt they had to step forward to support Mr. Suthep's campaign and check the influence of the Shinawatra clan, which has dominated Thai politics since Mr. Thaksin first became prime minister in 2001. On a good day, Mr. Suthep can pull in two million baht, or $60,000, during his traffic-stopping parades through Bangkok.

 

The biggest single amount offered came from the owner of a pharmaceutical business, Pichaet Wiriyachitra. He donated a million baht last month after Thai authorities froze the bank accounts of Mr. Suthep and his organization—and he now says he hopes that many more will follow.

 

"People want to help, but they don't always reveal themselves. I felt I had to step forward and show what we can do, and that we don't need to be afraid," Mr. Pichaet said.

 

—Wilawan Watcharasakwet and Warangkana Chomchuen contributed to this article.

 

 

http://online.wsj.co...310222926026720

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There was that news article that spoke of the 25 companies that would solve the problems.

Me thinks it may well be 25 companies that have banded together.

 

If the protesters win, those 25 companies will be looking to get a return on their "investment".

 

On Thai TV they constantly show clips related to the ACT, Against Corruption in Thailand (or something like that).

Thing is, will the police halt the practice of squeezing tea money as that is corruption...will the police and the courts

actually carry out justice on the hi-so's that can do whatever they want without punishment (corruption)...will the gov

officials stop demanding tea money to award projects (corruption)...and on and on it goes. Not a simple one solution

fits all...

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Sorry, my info came from a Thai hi-so, who drives a BMW 7 series...not a taxi driver or a red shirt or a foreign "expert" :dunno:

 

I balked at the number, 2500 Baht, but he insisted that it was true!

 

The money they show being "given" is the bullshit...just a PR photo op... :stirthepo

 

 

Watch the Wall Street Journal video on my link and see if you believe them or your hi-so friend with his BMW. I get my information from my lo-so friends who actually attend the protests and blow whistles. :hubbahubba:

 

p.s. Have you any idea who difficult it would be to run around the city and give money to people so they can then give it to Suthep? They would be a major achievement. :rotfl:

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OK...

 

1. it is a brand new BMW, so that wins the discussion 55555555555555555555

 

2. I would be interested to hear the details of where the money is handed out :dunno:

100,000 people standing in line? OK.......

 

3. the big money is getting funneled to the companies renting out the stages, chairs, large video screens, sound systems, etc

 

One thing, all those people are not dipping into their own pockets. They still need to pay their rent, food, etc...

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<< 3. the big money is getting funneled to the companies renting out the stages, chairs, large video screens, sound systems, etc >>

 

Probably the same companies who provided them to the red shirts! :hubbahubba:

 

By the way, Thida has told the red shirts to switch to white shirts now. They are wearing white shirts in their protests against a coup ... even if they are the only ones who seem to think there will be a coup. Maybe the shirt manuacturers are behind all of these protests. :hmmm:

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9H1B3jbmW8

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