# There's Rioting in Our Streets, Part 3 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 27, 2013, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919 "2013-11-27T15:26:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 29
**Author:** ![RyJae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@RyJae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RyJae)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/561 "2014-07-09T13:45:41Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > I know foreign press coverage of Thailand’s situation is extremely distorted. But this comment is bizarrely confused. It’s not just foreigners who support the military. A large portion of well-informed good-spirited people in rural areas do also, even in some rural areas that vote for Red-shirt allied politicians. The biggest support for Thaksin comes from those in the criminal food-chain. > > An election held today would probably restore Thaksin and his fellow criminals to power. _ **Even his supporters admit that he is extremely corrupt.** _ The whole purpose of delaying elections is to hope for political reform to dilute the electoral advantages (e.g. vote buying) enjoyed by criminals. > > The idea that “we need to see those purple fingers ASAP” shows a comic book-level understanding, a refusal even to click a link and try to grasp the situation. > > AFAICT, the Army is sincere; they are invigorated by the support of country’s wise men (e.g. His Majesty) and are not simply seeking personal power. > > Recently we had a very interesting situation near us, though it didn’t make its way into English-language press. A prominent leader was murdered under suspicious circumstances. If business were as usual, money would have changed hands and no arrests would have been made, or a hired gun would be arrested but without the hirer. Instead the Army took charge, coordinated investigation with local police, and significant arrests were made. [http://asiancorrespondent.com/116697/vote-buying-thaksin-and-the-democrats/](http://asiancorrespondent.com/116697/vote-buying-thaksin-and-the-democrats/) > **[Democracy, and vote buying, returning to Thailand (Published 2007)](https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/25/world/asia/25iht-thai.3.8469725.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0)** > **[ABC Pacific](https://www.abc.net.au/pacific)** > > For the latest features, programs, news, audio, podcasts, sport, recipes, events, photos and videos for ABC Pacific. I grabbed random articles with no bias in grabbing them (google searched Thailand vote buying) a couple of things I come away with in those articles. 1: Every party vote buys 2: The poor rural areas overwhelmingly vote for the “filth” ``` Assigning coups to corruption is bullshit, as every shirt is corrupt including the camouflaged shirts. ``` [http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/09/28/us-thailand-corruption-idUSTRE68R0RZ20100928](http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/09/28/us-thailand-corruption-idUSTRE68R0RZ20100928) > **[Does Thailand's Military Answer to the Government?](https://time.com/archive/6949774/does-thailands-military-answer-to-the-government/)** > > After antigovernment protesters invaded the country's parliament and stripped military police of their weapons, Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared a state of emergency in... > [@](#): > > The Thai military, whose more than 1,000 active generals outnumber those in the U.S. military which is at least three times its size, is also a perennial source of cost overruns and corruption allegations. > The army budget has doubled since a 2006 military coup This is a class warfare, where the filth\* who finally got acknowledged as people not serfs had elected multiple governments that the elites have overthrown time and time again. > **[Thailand: crisis exposes class struggle](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/26/thailand-crisis-background)** > > Bitter dispute tearing apart Thai society is a legacy of the country's emergence as a global economic force > **[Webs.com has been shut down: Find out more](https://www.vistaprint.com/digital-marketing/webs-shutdown)** > > Webs.com has been shut down on the 31st of August 2023. Find out what that means for your site and how to move it to another provider. > [@](#): > > AFAICT, the Army is sincere; they are invigorated by the support of country’s wise men (e.g. His Majesty) and are not simply seeking personal power The “wise men” is getting old and is in bad health, the military leader did his kneel in front of a picture. The son of the “wise men” is getting ready to take over the royal family a son who favors Thaksin. In a general way, not precise maybe not even accurate 100% this is how it has worked the last few decades. Corruption more corruption and well more corruption. Now lets throw some corruption that elects someone who helps the poor rural folks. HOLY SHIT there is corruption must stamp it out NOW! - I apologize about the “filth” comments, the dehumanizing of the red shirts a.k.a. the poor done by Siam Sam in here must be seen and understood. When you are “above” someone, want to see them murdered, encourages it openly first you must dehumanize your fellow man. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/562 "2014-07-10T00:51:36Z")
> [@RyJae](#): > > [http://asiancorrespondent.com/116697/vote-buying-thaksin-and-the-democrats/](http://asiancorrespondent.com/116697/vote-buying-thaksin-and-the-democrats/) > > [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/25/world/asia/25iht-thai.3.8469725.html?pagewanted=all&\_r=0](http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/25/world/asia/25iht-thai.3.8469725.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0) > > [ABC Pacific](http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/onairhighlights/thai-government-accused-of-vote-buying) > > I grabbed random articles with no bias in grabbing them (google searched Thailand vote buying) a couple of things I come away with in those articles. > > 1: Every party vote buys > 2: The poor rural areas overwhelmingly vote for the “filth” > > ``` > Assigning coups to corruption is bullshit, as every shirt is corrupt including the camouflaged shirts. > > ``` > > [http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/09/28/us-thailand-corruption-idUSTRE68R0RZ20100928](http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/09/28/us-thailand-corruption-idUSTRE68R0RZ20100928) > > [Does Thailand's Military Answer to the Government? | TIME](http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1978994,00.html) > > This is a class warfare, where the filth\* who finally got acknowledged as people not serfs had elected multiple governments that the elites have overthrown time and time again. > > [Crisis exposes Thailand's class struggle | Thailand | The Guardian](http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/26/thailand-crisis-background) > > [Webs.com has been shut down: Find out more](http://journal.vpweb.com/upload/5ungpakorn.pdf) > > The “wise men” is getting old and is in bad health, the military leader did his kneel in front of a picture. The son of the “wise men” is getting ready to take over the royal family a son who favors Thaksin. > > In a general way, not precise maybe not even accurate 100% this is how it has worked the last few decades. Corruption more corruption and well more corruption. Now lets throw some corruption that elects someone who helps the poor rural folks. HOLY SHIT there is corruption must stamp it out NOW! > > - I apologize about the “filth” comments, the dehumanizing of the red shirts a.k.a. the poor done by Siam Sam in here must be seen and understood. When you are “above” someone, want to see them murdered, encourages it openly first you must dehumanize your fellow man. - 2: The poor rural areas overwhelmingly vote for the “filth” \* That’s Thaksin’s PR spin, his power base is the North and North East thanks to buying up the pre-existing patronage network on those regions, the South is full of poor people and they don’t vote for his parties. They did get a lot of votes by promising Heaven on Earth to rice farmers though, too bad their Rice Scheme policy, predictable, ended up in disaster and more misery for those that believed them. The “Class War” narrative is simply propaganda, the very first thing the previous government did was reduce corporate taxes by 30 per cent. How proletariat of them. Your understanding of how vote buying works is very shallow and reading a couple articles on it won’t give you any great insights. Handing out money to people at election time is just a small facet of it, someone already mentioned buying up village leaders to sway the votes, my own GFs father is a village chief, after the last election he had to go into hiding for a few days because he couldn’t “deliver” the village to the buyer as arranged and he was warned a hitman was after him. That’s Thai “Democracy” for you’ Those shenanigans seem to go unnoticed by election observers that are parachuted in on election day. If you want another example of how vote buying works let one of Thaksin’s (we can skip Yingluck as being immaterial) ministers explain it to you: Speaking in the Chiang Mai Gymnasium at a political event called “Pheu Thai for the Future of Thailand”, he said, “I don’t want to do it [the convention centre in Phuket]. Why? Any problem? We will do it in the future when the people of Phuket see the good side of us and elect our man. > [@](#): > > [Speaking in the Chiang Mai Gymnasium at a political event called “Pheu Thai for the Future of Thailand”, he said, “I don’t want to do it [the convention centre in Phuket]. Why? Any problem? We will do it in the future when the people of Phuket see the good side of us and elect our man.“I will do it for you, but right now I don’t feel like it,” he said to cheers from the crowd in the gymnasium, many wearing red shirts and rattling “foot clappers”.](http://www.thephuketnews.com/deputy-pm-riles-people-of-phuket-39910.php) As for the last part of your post, the ones murdering people were the Red Shirts, and they even cheered at it: > [@](#): > > “I have good news to tell my red-shirt brothers and sisters from all provinces. The People’s Democratic Reform Committee members of Suthep (Thaugsuban) at the protest stage in Khao Saming (Trat province) were deservedly given a reception by the locals. Five PDRC people were killed and over 30 injured. The locals welcomed them because they love Suthep a lot…,” Dab Daeng told the crowd (see video below). > > **Many people in the crowd cheered, raising their fists in the air and applauding in jubilation over the death and injuries of these innocent and peaceful protesters.** Two children were murdered in that attack. Mind you, that was a gathering of Red Shirt local leaders. I, for one, don’t have any problem whatsoever with calling such people filth. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/563 "2014-07-10T03:10:58Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > - > > 2: The poor rural areas overwhelmingly vote for the “filth” \* > > That’s Thaksin’s PR spin, his power base is the North and North East thanks to buying up the pre-existing patronage network on those regions, the South is full of poor people and they don’t vote for his parties. > They did get a lot of votes by promising Heaven on Earth to rice farmers though, too bad their Rice Scheme policy, predictable, ended up in disaster and more misery for those that believed them. > The “Class War” narrative is simply propaganda, the very first thing the previous government did was reduce corporate taxes by 30 per cent. How proletariat of them. > > Your understanding of how vote buying works is very shallow and reading a couple articles on it won’t give you any great insights. > Handing out money to people at election time is just a small facet of it, someone already mentioned buying up village leaders to sway the votes, my own GFs father is a village chief, after the last election he had to go into hiding for a few days because he couldn’t “deliver” the village to the buyer as arranged and he was warned a hitman was after him. That’s Thai “Democracy” for you’ > Those shenanigans seem to go unnoticed by election observers that are parachuted in on election day. > > If you want another example of how vote buying works let one of Thaksin’s (we can skip Yingluck as being immaterial) ministers explain it to you: > > Speaking in the Chiang Mai Gymnasium at a political event called “Pheu Thai for the Future of Thailand”, he said, “I don’t want to do it [the convention centre in Phuket]. Why? Any problem? We will do it in the future when the people of Phuket see the good side of us and elect our man. > > As for the last part of your post, the ones murdering people were the Red Shirts, and they even cheered at it: > > Two children were murdered in that attack. > Mind you, that was a gathering of Red Shirt local leaders. I, for one, don’t have any problem whatsoever with calling such people filth. Thank you, **Ale**. I could not have said it better myself. It’s amazing how people with absolutely no experience with or in a particular situation can so strongly “know” exactly the right course. The filth get a lot of backers this way. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/564 "2014-07-10T06:11:00Z")
Just because the disease is horrible, that doesn’t mean people shouldn’t worry about the cure. Don’t you agree, in general terms? ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/565 "2014-07-10T08:41:06Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Just because the disease is horrible, that doesn’t mean people shouldn’t worry about the cure. Don’t you agree, in general terms? The majority of this thread is a military rule love-fest. However, **Siam Sam** , **Ale** , and the like, acknowledge that democracy, or more likely democracy lite, will be restored sometime in the near future. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2014, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/566 "2014-08-21T09:02:28Z")
It seems the head of the army will now become prime minister. [http://news.msn.com/world/thai-army-ruler-nominated-as-next-prime-minister](http://news.msn.com/world/thai-army-ruler-nominated-as-next-prime-minister) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/567 "2014-08-22T02:33:49Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > It seems the head of the army will now become prime minister. > > [http://news.msn.com/world/thai-army-ruler-nominated-as-next-prime-minister](http://news.msn.com/world/thai-army-ruler-nominated-as-next-prime-minister) Yes, that was a given anyway. It goes to the king for endorsement today (Friday), and that will be the [start of the Prayuth era](http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/428031/nla-picks-prayuth-as-premier). There are a lot of hopes for him. He really has cleaned up a lot of the scams and corruption in the past three months, and foreign investors have started coming back. Before May 22, Thailand was on the verge of collapse. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/568 "2014-08-23T00:18:24Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > It seems the head of the army will now become prime minister. > > [http://news.msn.com/world/thai-army-ruler-nominated-as-next-prime-minister](http://news.msn.com/world/thai-army-ruler-nominated-as-next-prime-minister) I was disappointed. The 1991 junta selected [Anand, one of the best PM’s in Thailand’s history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anand_Panyarachun). But I don’t know if there was an alternative. The country may be too polarized to find a “neutral” civilian. Anand himself is now 82 years old. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919/569 "2014-08-23T04:06:42Z")
**Siam Sam** , are you eligible? Maybe your wife would like to take a stab at it? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-rioting-in-our-streets-part-3/674919.md?page=28)