BBC report

[kamui]

Best would be if normal Bangkok people just come out in force (200,000 or 300,000 or more) and throw the red shirts out of town. Like they did at the Narathiwas Sathorn intersection when some idiots tried to block the road. This would set a clear sign to everybody that enough is enough.

I have been in Pattaya and eye witnessed the drama. I try to talk to some of the â??red shirtsâ?? none could speak English. They are a bunch of uneducated, violent thugs that donâ??t even understand democracy. Their typical quote is Thaksin is rich he is good. Completely different to the yellow shirt middle class protestor of which many spoke decent English and could articulate their cause.

 

 

I didn't know that being able to speak decent English is a requirement for to partake in LOS politics. I guess if you talk to the elite anti democratic yellow and red shirt figures who finance and have lead the various protests from shady backrooms speak even better English.

 

:content:

[Flashermac]

The Red vs Yellow divide is to a considerable extent rural vs urban. Naturally, the city folks are likely to be better educated than farm boys, even if they went no farther than the required 9 years.

 

Just heard a report that the city's official Songkran celebrations have been cancelled. Anyone have confirmation?

 

 

[Ckrisg]

Best would be if normal Bangkok people just come out in force (200,000 or 300,000 or more) and throw the red shirts out of town. Like they did at the Narathiwas Sathorn intersection when some idiots tried to block the road. This would set a clear sign to everybody that enough is enough.

I have been in Pattaya and eye witnessed the drama. I try to talk to some of the â??red shirtsâ?? none could speak English. They are a bunch of uneducated, violent thugs that donâ??t even understand democracy. Their typical quote is Thaksin is rich he is good. Completely different to the yellow shirt middle class protestor of which many spoke decent English and could articulate their cause.

 

 

Pity these decent Bangkok people did'nt go to the Airport and end that farce. But hey it was middle class english speaking protesters so that alright then!!!!.

 

Worst arguement I have ever heard!!

 

[Hardy641]

Most of the red shirts donâ??t have a clue about democracy or what they are fighting for while the PAD consisted mostly of the urban middle class who knows pretty well what is going on.

 

Further over 80% of the tax money comes from central provinces the strong hold of the PAD. It is absolutely understandable that they are upset when Thaksin distributed this money to the Isaan folks â?¦ of which 90% never paid a single THB of tax â?¦ to secure their votes.

 

The airport closure has been definitely wrong but I doubt that it really has been the PAD or yellow shirts. I was at the airport when it happened. There only have been a few dozen unarmed protestors when the AOT decided to close the airport. There has been absolutely no necessity to close the airport at that time. Only after that the PAD came in thousands.

 

[Faustian]

You're right about the red shirts being uneducated fuckwits, I've seen them up real close...they are rent-a-thugs...lowlifes. Couldn't care if they spoke serbo-croat, they are the scum and easily used and manipulated, as indeed they have been.

[dean]

Certainly, my Thai wife from Chaing Mai falls into that catagory of never having paid taxes. However, for 6 years before I met her, she supported her three children without the financial support of their father. She and the children spoke little English when I met them (after being in the U.S. for 7 months, they speak some English but are probably 1-2 years away from speaking passable English) but that has to do with the type of Thai school that they went to. The Thai middle class can aford to send their children to much better schools, whee, on graduation, the children will have much better opportunities than the children of the poor. So, if the middle class is upset with money being given to the poor in the north, who don't pay taxes, have the money go to the thai school system, where the poor can at least have a chance to have a decent education and enter the ranks of the tax paying middle class. Getting my 3 step children into an above average school in the U.S. and out of Thailand for now is the best thing I could have done.

[cavanami]

They do not want the poorer Thais to be educated as then they would understand the REAL situation!

 

The "free" education system in Thailand is a sick joke. To get a decent education in Thailand you have to pay to send the children to a good private school, at a cost of 30,000baht/year, minimum. Plus they may still need a tutor for after hours.

This is only for primary school. University...maybe Flash can comment, but me thinks that a foreign university education would be far better as I have seen Thais that attended USA universities and they are light years ahead of Thais that attended a Thai university...Mekong can confirm???

[Ckrisg]

Most of the red shirts donâ??t have a clue about democracy or what they are fighting for while the PAD consisted mostly of the urban middle class who knows pretty well what is going on.

 

Further over 80% of the tax money comes from central provinces the strong hold of the PAD. It is absolutely understandable that they are upset when Thaksin distributed this money to the Isaan folks â?¦ of which 90% never paid a single THB of tax â?¦ to secure their votes.

 

The airport closure has been definitely wrong but I doubt that it really has been the PAD or yellow shirts. I was at the airport when it happened. There only have been a few dozen unarmed protestors when the AOT decided to close the airport. There has been absolutely no necessity to close the airport at that time. Only after that the PAD came in thousands.

 

Who made all the money that allowed the educated classes to pay tax?. There maybe thugs on the street now its always the way some are drawn to trouble like moths to a flame.

 

The airport was allowed to remain closed when it could have been retaken without violence because as you say it was the educated merely expressing their democratic right, pity they seek to remove that from others.

 

Thaksin may have bought the votes of the poor with hard cash but the old guard safeguard their monopoly by fooling the educated classess into believing that they have a god given right to all the wealth merely through an accident of birth.

 

 

 

 

 

[..]

Thaksin may have bought the votes of the poor with hard cash but the old guard safeguard their monopoly by fooling the educated classess into believing that they have a god given right to all the wealth merely through an accident of birth.

Do you know any middle class Thais at all? It is doubtful given this post.

 

All the middle class Thais I know (that'd be pretty much my whole group of friends) work very hard (10+ hour days, 6-7 days a week) and live modestly to achieve their standard of living and to be sure their children are well cared for and well educated.

 

EDIT -- e.g., my GF a) goes to Uni full time, works some hours/day in the family business, c) does freelance fashion/jewelry design, d) runs a small food/provision shop for kids a couple of hours a day (she saw a market hole and filled it), and still finds time for me and her friends. She's 23, she doesn't need any money from me. Her friends have similar schedules and drive.

 

Cheers,

SD

[dean]

About half of my friends in LOS are middle class and I would confirm your description of their work ethic. The poor Thais that I know are mainly in the construction field (I do know some police officers and they aren't much better off than construction workers) and they work 8-9 hour days for 200-300 baht a day. If I had to choose between working a whilte collar job and working in construction or farming in LOS, I know which profession I'd choose.