What has Thaksin really done for the poor?

[Flashermac]

Link isn't opening...

 

 

Opens for me.

 

And it really pisses me off when folks say Thaksin is the greatest PM, when compared to Pridi Banomyong he is a douchebag.

 

 

 

 

[SpiceMan]

If the Wiki biography is true, Pridi was a very good leader. Why can't Thailand produce a leader of that caliber today?

[Flashermac]

He's the older generation, from a time when politicians didn't think only of what was in it for them.

 

 

 

Pridi Banomyong, an Ordinary Man: A Hundred Years

 

 

He was born in a raft house on May 11, 1900 in Ayuddhya Province to farming parents. He went on to further his studies in Bangkok and later to earn a doctorate in Law from the University of Paris. He returned to Thailand to serve as judge in the Ministry of Justice, to teach law, and in 1932, seven years after the first meeting of core members in Paris, to bring about a swift but bloodless revolution that changed Thailand’s government from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy.

 

"I was very young," he admitted, "and inexperienced. I did not communicate enough with the people. All my knowledge was book-learning.†But he had ideals that were timeless and true, and never deviated from them.

 

Pridi Banomyong drafted the country's first constitution, giving women rights to vote and to become MPs. He abolished taxes unfair to the poor, laid down foundations for social security, social welfare, and a national bank. His ideas were called communist and Thailand did not provide social security for its people until 60 years later.

 

Independence for Pridi was not only political. It covered freedom in judiciary matters, in economy and education. Extraterritoriality problems were addressed and new treaties negotiated. Thammasat University was established as the first open Thai public university.

 

During WWII, Pridi became what Lord Mountbatten described as “one of the most romantic figures of the war in South-East Asia.†As leader of the underground Free Thai Movement resisting Japanese occupation, he was known under the code “Ruth†and his name only “mentioned in whispers and the whole story was ‘top secret.’â€Â

 

Thailand was free after WWII but Pridi was not. Attacked by rumors that he was a communist and assassin of King Ananda (Rama VIII), he left his house minutes before a tank opened fire at it and eventually fled the country.

 

“History does not stop within a person’s or people’s lifetime… I leave it to you and future generations who want truth to find the answer,†he said in a speech to Thai students in England.

 

On May 2, 1983, he died peacefully of heart failure while writing in his study in Paris.

 

 

Link :content:

 

 

[pasathai1]

a lot done for show, not much done for real

[Gadfly]

I thought the Reds were demaning a shorter time period. In any event, I do think W made a good point about timing.

 

Between the global recession and airport closures, Thailand has been gone through a very rough patch, and both sides (and the stock market) expect the situation to improve over the next nine or so months. So the current government wants to take credit for it and reds want to stop them from doing so.

 

My take is that an improvement in the Thai economy turns on - more than anything else - improvements in the global economy. Local measures, such as poltical unrest and airport closures, can make things much worse for Thailand, but can a Thai government actually lead the economy to a recovery independant of the international economy? I doubt it.

 

The best thing that can happen here is for cooler heads to prevail and for the unrest and uncertainity to end. Reforming self-defeating protectionist policies and laws are the best things the government can actually do to improve the Thai economy by making it a better investment destination, but the current environment makes that risky by exposing such measures and policies open to nationalistic and downright racist cant.

[Flashermac]

The Red leaders are demanding Parliament be dissolved within two weeks. Then 2 months should be allowed for an election campaign. Total time involved would be about 3 months.

 

Abhisit counter with an election in 9 months, saying the govmt needed to wrap up a lot of pending business first. He doesn't really have to call an election until the end of next year, so he was offering to move the elections up one full year. Not good enough for the Red leaders. They want it NOW ... or else.

 

They haven't said what the "else" is though.

 

 

 

[shygye]

... then why is the baht so strong?

[cavanami]

>Abhisit counter with an election in 9 months, saying the govmt needed to wrap up a lot of pending business first =

 

Need time to fill their pockets?

[ThaiHome]

... then why is the baht so strong?

 

Primarily due to the hundreds of millions of dollars that are flowing into the SET causing the demand for the baht to increase. It is a win-win situation for foreign investors right now. The SET is moving up and the gains are increased by baht strengthening.

 

In addition, exports are almost up to pre-2008 levels in many industries, unemployment continues to drop, and the stimulus program, though somewhat flawed, continues to increase domestic demand. Another stimulus package is making its way through Parliament (another reason not to dissolve it) which will help more.

TH

 

[Julian2]

Thailand has a huge balance of trade surplus, they export far more than they import, this is a big plus where currency is concerned.

This has little to do with politics.