The Thai Pirate - Thai Blog and Travel Stories

NEWS FLASH. PAD ignored. Again.

Today it was reported in Bangkok that senior protesters gathered together in a rally that was ignored.

(Left, Silyum Watsitonwat - Bored)

The PAD have now successfully been ignored for over 4 months, making them the world's most ignored organisation ever.

PAD leader and spokesman, Silyum Watsitonwat, was quoted as saying 'Today my organisation have been ignored again, and for over four months now. Last week we were ignored all over Bangkok, and the country. We have tried so hard, but still we can't help it, everyone ignores us'.

He contined 'There is some serious ignoring going on in Thailand today. We have stayed in the government offices in Bangkok for months now, but why? Only to be ignored. I'm not so sure if I can take anymore ignoring. When will it all end?

The PAD have continuously tried to not be ignored, but have had little success. Areas of the capital have seen them gather in large numbers only to be forgotten as people get on with their lives.

Parts of Thailand have associated the PAD with 'the Bangkok elite' and business leaders, but for an organisation to be ignored for this long, it is hard to fathom that anybody really cares at all.

"Its hard to take, all this ignoring. All we want is someone to take us seriously', said Watsitonwat.

Senior Army Man, Gen. Whodunya Watchit, was quoted as saying 'Yes we have ignored them, they are very ignorable. I suggest everyone carry on ignoring them, who knows? Maybe they will go home?'

The PAD last week took over major airports in Thailand, in a final bid to not be ignored, however, the country still couldn't help it.

Watsitonwat concluded 'You should try to be ignored as long as we have, it's not easy.'

How much is your democracy?

Everyday I read a report stating that the PAD is an organisation against democracy.

This makes all Westerners gasp loudly in horror. Against DEMOCRACY! How dare they!

To be against democracy is the modern day equivalent of denying god in the 13th century.

Thailand does have a democracy, but there is one major fly in the curry. The Thai democratic system is rife with ‘vote buying’.

Vote buying, or ‘vote fraud’ as it’s known in most other working democracies, is illegal in Thailand, but is still widely practiced. The public perception of it is that it is not viewed as so morally wrong, especially in the poorer areas of Thailand.

"But that’s disgraceful", I hear you cry! "A democratic system should be brilliant white, shiny, and clean, you can’t have any dirty vote buying spoiling the view!". But it's not that straight forward.

It is already illegal; a law was just passed in October 2007 to try to clamp down on it (making it punishable for the first time to receive money for votes. Previously, only those who paid money could be prosecuted).

One of the problems in stamping out vote buying is you need a person willing to risk their neck (i.e. a snitch), and that isn’t gonna happen 9 times out of 10. Why? Because the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.

Firstly, political murders are not that uncommon in Thailand, and secondly, vote buying could be the answer to many of your problems, depending on your circumstances, and where you live.

To understand, you need to look at how the Thai people live in the remotest parts of Thailand.

Local and national politics there remain driven by feudal social structures. Parties and their accompanying ideologies are of little importance, in contrast to our own system.

The things that motivate rural Thai’s are religion, family ties, group allegiances, and the respect and support of those that can supply financial investment and security (i.e. money).

Say you are a normal Thai person living in a normal village somewhere in the North of Thailand. You don’t have much money, or influence, but you belong to the village group.

A political canvessor turns up a few months before elections, and offers to build new roads, new schools, and pay for bus fares for a year.

This is obviously going to have an immediate impact on you, and your neighbour’s lives.

If the head of the village decides to accept such a gift, then that’s pretty much it. The whole village will normally go along with it, so Yippee, new roads!

Such promises and gifts in Thai society are binding; a cash payment or gift has an extra value beyond the supposed value. Such a gift will be given in exchange for the complete loyalty of the village.

As a member of the village, it is very difficult for you to object or not participate, you may be risking more than just your pride; you could ostracise yourself, and your family from those around you. So why bother? After all, you’re getting new roads!

Acting alone as a rural Thai is not big and it’s not clever, especially if your superiors are telling you to all pull together. You therefore have a situation where large numbers of votes are being decided by very few.

The way vote buying has influenced the system is the main reason why the PAD say stupid stuff like; ‘those in the remotest parts of Thailand are uneducated’. They don’t mean that they are stupid, they mean the system that is being imposed is primitive.

And remember, vote buying is still illegal.

Its existence within a democratic system cheapens the system; changing the playing field drastically. It opens the doors to the rich, and ignores those that want to create real change.

Is it any coincidence that Thaksin’s strongholds are in the poorest parts of Thailand?

Is it a bad thing? Well yes it is, if you are isolating yourself from all the professional people in the country. They can quite ably see that these elections are being bought.

I have no right to say whether vote buying is right or wrong, After all, if vote buying is improving the lives of many in the poorest parts of Thailand, then who am I to argue? These are issues for the Thai’s, and they will be dealt with by the Thai’s.

Just don’t be too hasty to pass judgement on the PAD when the Western media states they are against democracy, because, Thailand's democracy works differently to ours.

Thai Road Jokers - Sleepers

I thought I'd post this pic I took recently, rather than go on about all the airport blockades etc, (incidentally, tourists are still safe, if they can get here / get home).

I saw this lady travelling through Bangkok.

I'm pretty sure she's just asleep, in fact, I think she's completely out of it.

Maybe a heavy night on the Sam Song? Maybe she has plane to catch out of Suvarnabhumi (pronounced Sue Wanna Boom!), and the thought was just so depressing it all became too much?

The gear in the back is far more secure than she is (which is really saying something). Maybe the driver considers it more valuable (a caring, sharing, Thai husband, possibly?)

Being that this is in heavy Bangkok traffic, she must be doubly tired to fall asleep so precariously.

Never a dull day on Bangkok's roads (well, as long as they're not jammed with protestors!)

Thaksin upset at revoked VISA, slags off the UK, then talks sense (no, not really)

It's been a bad couple of months for Thaksin, and it finally looks as though he has lost it.

Mid November, he and Potjaman Shinawatra got a divorce. Don't feel too bad for him, as it isn't the strain of recent events that have led to this, rather, it is more likely to be a move to protect his assets, thus not genuine marital breakdown. The separation will afford him considerably more legal manoeuvrability.

Nothing is sacred these days, eh Thaksin!

There is also speculation the divorce could allow Potjaman the right to reapply for settlement in the UK.

Commenting on the revoked VISA, David Milliband, UK foreign minister, only referred to Thaksin's convictions when describing why his VISA had been revoked, leading many Thai journalists to speculate that the UK were leaving the door open for Potjaman (even though she was found guilty of tax evasion by the Thai courts and sentenced to 3 years).

So, after being dumped by the UK (and by the misses), Thaksin proceeded to slope off to Dubai, where he promptly began slagging off England!

Quote: "England must understand better, but unfortunately they are now busy with their own problems so they forgot about democratic values" said Thaksin in an interview with an Arabian Business magazine.

Interesting. "They are now busy with their own problems". Who? British politicians?

Maybe Thaksin is actually surprised that British government ministers are unable to collude with (and do favours for) a political criminal?

Or, at least, British politicians at this time daren't be seen to associate with him, especially with all the trouble that's going on with the world markets.

Thaksin also went on to say (with regard returning to Thailand) "With me at the helm, I can bring confidence quickly back to Thailand".

And that's the most sensible thing he's ever said, if he means at the helm of the Bang Kwang prison kitchen, cooking slop for the other inmates.

Because, in my humble opinion, the only solution to all this mess is for Thaksin to come back and serve time for the various crimes he committed whilst in power!

Then, and only then, can he attempt to rebuild a political career.

'Lucky' car crash in town

Was walking along Highway 340 at the end of last week when I came across the big commotion below.

A 4x4 had come off the road and into an overgrown trench at the side of the highway.

It looked as though nobody was hurt, as the driver was no where to be seen, and there were no other injured parties, from what I could tell.

On these busy highways, local shops and houses are often situated along the side of the road. Many cars tend to tear down the highways, hell for leather, so it's lucky that this car didn't end up crashing through the front of somebodies home or business.

Accidents will happen, and Thailand has it's fair share, 12,500 road deaths and 79,000 road related injuries in 2007, according to this article by ThaiPr.net.

A lot of the time, these accidents involve the young, sometimes the very young, who are in control of the vehicles. I remember when I first came to Thailand, Sutiya and I spent the night in the local hospital with her cousin's son (5 at the time) who had been run down by a moped driven by a 12 year old. He was badly hurt, but thankfully O.K.

Thailand does have a mandatory driving test, but as with many laws here, it isn't enforced stringently, although, I've heard the police will come down hard on wrongdoing after such accidents occur.

I read about another accident that happened this weekend. Police have ordered the closure of 'The Bangkok Drag Avenue' after one of the race cars lost control and hit the barrier, flipping over into the crowd, killing 9 spectators (full article here).

I suspect safety precautions which were supposed to be practiced by the track would have been loosely enforced.

The trouble for me personally is, being someone who rallies against the importance afforded to health and safety departments back in the UK (i.e speed cameras / pointless risk assessments / overzealous security etc), these accidents show just how the Thai's attitude towards the law, and health and safety, may in fact be too relaxed, and in consequence means they will have to endure many more preventable tragedies.

More safety, or more freedom. Which do you prefer?

For a full breakdown of Thai driving laws, there is a good website here.