SG may lose Thai training camp
-
Originally posted by Shotgun:
I second to that Shotgun.
...End of the day, we still get pelted with rotten eggs.
...
The fact remains, bros & sis, that due to our size, Sing will always be a convenient PUNCHING BAG (Scapegoat etc whatever you want to call it) to our neighbours (close or distant) whenever things is not going well in their favour.
We are just like the only little kid (in a senior neighbourhood) who enjoys cycling round the neighbourhood daily in the morning and evening, and when a toy car was found among the shattered pieces of a window of an aged neighbours' house, the little boy is blamed when he is not even around at time of the event.
YOU CAN BET SUCH BLAMING WILL REPEAT OVER AND OVER AGAIN. -
Hey tranvesite , this is singapore not ur homeland.... so keep ur filthy mouth clean plsOriginally posted by Advante_101:Why dun u go lick ur mother chee-bye uneducated vagina 1st
-
Let's not call it a govt. It's still a junta pretending hard to be legitimate.
-
Originally posted by Lighty:Hey tranvesite , this is singapore not ur homeland.... so keep ur filthy mouth clean pls
What a joke -
Anyway whos clone are you ? Tripwire ??
-
actually i think that's a good point...Originally posted by Chemineer72:A few comments from a newcomer.
1) Is it possible for someone in official position to present himself as a private citizen for his activities? For example can the Japanese PM visit the Yasukuni Shrine as a private citizen while holding the office? If yes, then the Chinese and Koreans have no ground to condemn any Japanese PM from visiting their shrine as a private citizen. If no, then the Chinese had grounds when they protested against LHL private visit to Taiwan. Similarly, the Thais have ground to be unhappy for a 'dissident' to visit our DPM privately.
if we want to say that our DPM can meet the ousted Thai PM as normal friends, then we cannot kpkb when the (former) Jap PM visits the shrine as a Jap citizen... -
did we even kpkb abt the shrine visit?
Regarding the Aussie druggie guy who was hanged for law breaking, why wasn't our military training affected there when it happened? Somemore the public there make big hooha also... In the end nth happen... now majiam back to normal as if nothing happened before.
This small incident abt Thaksin visiting on PRIVATE grounds (no hangings, no rotans, no jail terms), only the junta make noise, and we're gonna lose Sayok camp?
since on non-official meeting, means no rank = casual visit, y kpkb? dun tell mi old friends cannot visit each other juz because one of their family member dun like the other old friend?
Think those generals should grow up. Their age = their shoe size.. -
some may tink that the general is wrong....ya....this is after all their internal affair..
but Sg shld not forget that we are a small country in a big neighbourhood...as our leaders said some time ago although the political figure from a CERTAIN neighbour always flame us....we still kept our cool
we shld be wary of our actions...
YES we have no reason to reject thaksin but we can cut down on the controversy eg.
treat him as a normal tourist but visits with a cabinet minister is a big NONO
in my view we should know for a public figure like ministers....there is NO such thing as an offday where u can override ur identity....you are after all a minister there is no such thing as a private visit....u cant shirk the fact jus bcos its a pte meet....as someone above mentioned a good example is the ex-pm of japan there is no such thing as visiting as a normal person once u r public...
and usually more is expected of them...so pls be more sensitive la my dear government....you are not entirly wrong but be cautious abit -
U dumb or what... you said it is an Aussie druggie guy. Is Thaksin a druggie guy? He is still someone who can cause some political trouble back home. Use your brain please la...Originally posted by Moonstriker:did we even kpkb abt the shrine visit?
Regarding the Aussie druggie guy who was hanged for law breaking, why wasn't our military training affected there when it happened? Somemore the public there make big hooha also... In the end nth happen... now majiam back to normal as if nothing happened before.
This small incident abt Thaksin visiting on PRIVATE grounds (no hangings, no rotans, no jail terms), only the junta make noise, and we're gonna lose Sayok camp?
since on non-official meeting, means no rank = casual visit, y kpkb? dun tell mi old friends cannot visit each other juz because one of their family member dun like the other old friend?
Think those generals should grow up. Their age = their shoe size.. -
Originally posted by Moonstriker:
Why don't you ask MM Lee to go to visit Chen Shui Bian on a private visit to talk about girls in bikini and see what China say. Please la, when it involves politicshi.t where got such thing as human rights and private meeting... dumb siah.
[b
since on non-official meeting, means no rank = casual visit, y kpkb? dun tell mi old friends cannot visit each other juz because one of their family member dun like the other old friend?
[/b]
Singapore is dumb dumb dumb. The temasick deal still got some hope, now I think totally no hope.
You want to visit your friend you just keep your stupid mouth shut lah, don't need to tell the whole world. -
Actually I don't know what the Thai have to gain from raising this issue, it's not as if Thaskin visited to rally support in Singapore against the current Thai regime, it's not as if Singapore is really going to do anything to mess with Thai internal politics as well.
In short, some people really need to chill before they go about raising international issue. I mean they might have a vaid thing to raise if there were really political implications in all this, but there are not. If this is to divert attention from internal affairs to external ones I can't say it's really working because it's really obvious that they're making a mountain out of a molehill. The problems of Thailand will still be here to stay if Thaskin goes around the world or not.
After all this has died down, the Thai government is still at square one. -
I think they just want to play safe... better to be safe than sorry...Originally posted by SingaporeTyrannosaur:Actually I don't know what the Thai have to gain from raising this issue, it's not as if Thaskin visited to rally support in Singapore against the current Thai regime, it's not as if Singapore is really going to do anything to mess with Thai internal politics as well.
In short, some people really need to chill before they go about raising international issue. I mean they might have a vaid thing to raise if there were really political implications in all this, but there are not. If this is to divert attention from internal affairs to external ones I can't say it's really working because it's really obvious that they're making a mountain out of a molehill. The problems of Thailand will still be here to stay if Thaskin goes around the world or not.
After all this has died down, the Thai government is still at square one. -
Peace...Stop
Leave Politics to veteran Politicians
The rest of u tom dick and harry and go get yourself a beer or a tequila pop or two
Cheers..It's friday night tonight
-
I don't think its a valid point at all. Thaksin is no longer holding ANY official position in the present Thai govt. In fact, he's better off distancing himself from them. Since he's no longer an official, he doesn't represent Thailand when he lands here to meet anybody. He can meet President Nathan for all that illegitimate junta can care, and they'd have no right to interfere with OUR internal affairs. Who our ministers want too meet or meet, is none of THEIR business. In Thaksin's case, its LAGI not their business since he doesn't rep Thailand at all.Originally posted by kalangkabo:actually i think that's a good point...
if we want to say that our DPM can meet the ousted Thai PM as normal friends, then we cannot kpkb when the (former) Jap PM visits the shrine as a Jap citizen... -
We didn't need either your troops stationed on our soil or your used fighter jets in the first place. The airspace is purely Thailand's sovereignty, which cannot be traded for any private interest whatsoever. Thug-Sin inked the deal in return just for his business interests with the Lee's.....without consent from the Thai public. The Thais have not benefited from such deal at all as you guys think. Worse it helps complicate the violence in the south. Thailand has been dragged into quagmire of being a Non-NATO ally because of one selfish man, Thug-Sin.
-
after i gang rape your thai king with a thoudsand dog....Originally posted by Advante_101:Why dun u go lick ur mother chee-bye uneducated vagina 1st -
joke? i think you got screwed so bad.. by burmese workers... you cant tell who is your "real" king....Originally posted by Advante_101: What a joke -
where is the mod when you need them? screwing some thai chicken? come on... do your job mods.... you can continue later... you know?Originally posted by Advante_101:Anyway whos clone are you ? Tripwire ?? -
you king of thailand?..... nah... i dont think so...Originally posted by ChineseThai:We didn't need either your troops stationed on our soil or your used fighter jets in the first place. The airspace is purely Thailand's sovereignty, which cannot be traded. Thug-Sin inked the deal in return for his business interests with the Lee's. The Thais have not benefited anything as you guys think.
why dont you go and tell your govt to kick us out? wait... you have no say in a military junta govt.... so eat your heart out...
we still own shincorp..... military govt or thaksin govt... .. -
and the bear and tequila pop.... or two....to the transevitesOriginally posted by Advante_101:Peace...Stop
Leave Politics to veteran Politicians
The rest of u tom dick and harry and go get yourself a beer or a tequila pop or two
Cheers..It's friday night tonight welcome to singapore.... -
you king of thailand?..... nah... i dont think so...
[size=Large]Tripwire, I can tolerate whatever sh*t you let off your filthy mouth. But don't you touch the King.
why dont you go and tell your govt to kick us out? wait... you have no say in a military junta govt.... so eat your heart out...
we still own shincorp..... military govt or thaksin govt... ..
We have plenty of say in this military government. We criticize them everyday and harshly. We can bash the current military-installed Prime Minister in the open. We have the freedom back - the freedom that had been lost during the oppressive regime of Thug-Sin.
Can you Tripwire do to the Lee's the same thing as we do now? Pity you.[/size] -
ever heard of thaksinomics?Originally posted by bangkokboy:Tell me how did Thaksin drag thailand's ass out of Asian Economic Crisis?
PROVE IT TO ME.
http://www.thaksinomics.com/
Introduction
Prior to the Asian Economic Crisis sparked by the collapse of the Thai baht in 1997, Southeast Asia looked like a sure bet for a long period of high sustained economic growth. Its membership in the elite group of industrialized countries seemed assured. The crisis came as a complete surprise to many area experts, and brought an end to the era of the "Asian Miracle." While growth rates are gradually edging upwards, the region has not been able to restore the pre-crisis mechanisms that propelled many of its countries out of poverty and into near affluence.
As a region, Southeast Asia's economies are the most open to international trade. While such openness spurred their growth for several decades, in the post 1997 period it has left them increasingly vulnerable to adverse economic and political shocks. The region suffered a tremendous blow to its technology exports when the 2001-02 recession spread to the region following the collapse in America's information technology investment. Increasing competition with China for foreign investment and export markets is also making it harder for Southeast Asian economies to sustain growth rates approaching those attained in the pre-1997 period.
Greatly compounding the region's economic woes was the powerful Bali terrorist attack and its impact on tourism. U.S. and other Western intelligence sources have confirmed the presence of powerful terrorist networks throughout the region—Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Philippines. The openness of these economies makes them especially vulnerable to terrorist acts.
Despite these challenges, the Thai economy began accelerating from a growth rate of 1.9 percent in 2001 (the year Dr. Thaksin was elected Prime Minister) to 5.3 percent in 2002, to a projected 6.5 percent in 2003, with forecasts of even higher rates in the next several years.[1] Compared with the Thailand that went hat in hand to the IMF in 1997, Thailand today is a nation transformed: in addition to its impressive growth, its foreign debt has dropped by two-thirds, and the stock market soared 69 percent during the first three-quarters of 2003.[2]
Thailand has built on its recent economic successes to quickly become one of the United States' most valued allies in Asia. The country has cooperated closely with the United States in regional counterterrorism operations and, unlike many nations, has actually made good on its on pledges to send troops to Iraq as well as Afghanistan.[3] The payoff is sure to be substantial, as evidenced by the United States' recent designation of Thailand as a major non-NATO ally[4], and the beginning of negotiations for a free trade agreement between the two countries.[5]
Finally, the country's recent economic success has in the eyes of many observers[6] elevated its Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to the status of likely successor to fill the void left as Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad steps down as head of APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation).[7] Clearly, under Thaksin Thailand is becoming one of the pivotal states in Southeast Asia.[8]
What is especially interesting about Thailand is the unique set of economic policies implemented during this period of accelerated growth. Often dubbed "Thaksinomics," these policies represent a distinct break from the past. To Thaksin's followers the new economic measures are not only capable of returning Thailand to the pre-1997 glory days of high growth, but perhaps even more importantly, enabling the country to successfully coexist economically with China, while, at the same time, making Thailand a less fertile ground for terrorism. -
Elements of Thaksinomics
Like Reaganomics in the 1980s, Thaksinomics is controversial. It is an eclectic strategy that combines the traditional element of the EAEM model, emphasizing mass manufacturing spearheaded by foreign direct investment—dubbed the First Track—and a more domestic focus on local enterprises leveraging indigenous skills and resources, known as the Second Track. A distinctive feature of Thaksinomics is the emphasis given the Second Track.
As in the past, the First Track is oriented towards creating relatively high paying jobs and earning foreign exchange. The Second Track on the other hand focuses on activities that will not come into direct competition with China. A major goal of Thaksinomics is to pursue both goals in a manner that gradually shifts the Thai economy from export dependence to greater reliance on the more controllable domestic market. Thaksin envisions this process increasing domestic consumption to 60% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from the current level of 55%. Simultaneously the goal is to reduce exports as a proportion of GDP from 60% to 50%.
The rationale for the two track strategy is straightforward: most developed countries have a smaller proportion of exports to GDP than do the East Asian economies. Therefore, they are less vulnerable to external shocks like the terrorism incident in Bali, the SARS epidemic, or a slowdown of the U.S. economy.
The idea is to stimulate domestic demand in the short run through increased government expenditures, while simultaneously searching for new local industries to develop as part of the diversification away from EAEM activities. At the same time, domestic market focused policies can achieve structural change by assisting business in moving up the value added chain, thus keeping ahead of direct Chinese competition.
While it might appear that Thaksinomics represents a retreat from globalization, this is not the case. Although the policies are more domestically focused, they are not meant to discriminate against foreign capital. In fact Thailand is still aggressively attempting to attract foreign direct investment (FDI).
Implementation 1st Stage
Implementation of Thaksinomics has evolved through various stages. One of the key elements in Thaksinomics is the focus on poverty alleviation, especially in rural areas. Initial policies were geared toward providing small fiscal doses aimed at reviving rural demand and creating housing demand for low-wage government workers, rejuvenating underdeveloped resources and indigenous skill-rich small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with good growth potential. Another key element was assisting under-leveraged households to achieve higher levels of consumption. Implementation has occurred through a variety of unique projects. The most urgent policies that the Thaksin government initially implemented were those aimed at empowering the grassroots.
Farm Assistance
The first programs were focused on the agricultural sector, starting with a three-year moratorium on farmers' debt payments to the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BBAC). This was the initial step in reforming the debt structure and maturity profile of the agricultural sector to match the crop production cycle. At the same time, the government is attempting to upgrade land rights to be used as bank collateral.
Urban Relief
The urban poor also benefit from incentives brought about by the government. Small loans for street-side vendors are provided through the Government Savings Bank (GSB).The GSB provided individuals loans worth 30,000 baht each for a total of 10 billion baht in 2002.
Retired Civil Servants
A special spending package was also set up for retired civil servants. Under this program the government will pay an amount equivalent to 30 times salary to the families of civil servants who pass away. A new ruling permits retired civil servants to spend half of that amount before their death. It is estimated that the total amount of spending power created from this initiative would be roughly 45 billion baht.
To boost grassroots access to financing, the Thaksin administration set up a number of new institutions:
The Village Fund
The first was the Village and Urban Revolving Fund. To many, Dr. Thaksin's election campaign pledge to provide 1 million baht ($24,000) to each of Thailand's 70,000 villages was a populist handout. It's actually a revolving loan program. The program is unique in that it specifically targets projects aimed at stimulating the rural economy. Village leaders and bankers will identify projects and provide loans at 4% interest (commercial farm loans cost 5%-8%) to be guaranteed by community groups. The intent of the $1.6 billion Fund is to enable farmers to increase productivity, and value added, through developing new activities such as processing and packaging. The Fund can also be drawn on by individuals, households or groups to start their own small or micro-enterprises.
The People's Bank
This newly created bank is another grassroots credit facility set up to provide credit to micro-enterprises. In addition to providing financing to groups without access to the formal banking system, the goal of the Bank is also to promote entrepreneurship among the poor and the small traditional producers in villages.
The Bank for Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)
SMEs play a critical role in Thaksinomics and the Bank for Small-and Medium Sized Enterprises is the financial component of the Government's overall SME promotion program. SMEs account for 40-50 percent of the Thai economy's GDP, 38 percent of the total value of exports and 69 percent of the country's jobs. Thaksinomics singles out SMEs because of their potential to adjust to fast changing conditions, to reach certain market niches more rapidly than bigger companies and to innovate in terms of products and process.
One Tambon Project
This program is nationwide, covering nearly all of Thailand's 7,252 districts. One Tambon is predicated on the idea that every Thai tambon (sub-district) has a variety of specialized local products. The key assumption of the project is that each community has a comparative advantage in one or more of these traditional products. The project's role is to assist the communities in modernizing the production and distribution process of these products so that they can be competitive at the national and international levels. The government's role is to identify candidate products and then to assist their development through providing necessary support for their eventual success.
The program is clearly intended to find new niches in foreign markets and develop new winners that will provide an alternative to the foreign direct investment-based and mass produced exports products that the country has been fast losing to China and other countries in the region with cheaper labor.
Other programs introduced during this period include:
* Housing projects for state workers and the low income masses introduced in 2001 and 2002, respectively;
* Various small and medium sized enterprise (SME) development initiatives introduced since 2001; and
* The comprehensive State-Enterprise Privatization Program started in 2001.
Clearly, it is a bit early to critically evaluate these initial attempts. However it is safe to say that these programs, along with some of the government's other fiscal activities have contributed to terminating asset deflation, reviving domestic demand and bringing about positive asset demand and asset price expectations.[19]
In addition there are some encouraging results stemming from the One Tambon project. Government figures put total sales of village enterprises under the program at $558 million in 2002, with an average profit margin of 26 percent. Their products are also finding their way to the shelves of luxury shops in Japan, the United States and Europe, thus enabling the village producers to earn four or five times more on each item than when sold in the local market.
Implementation 2nd Stage
The second stage of Thaksinomics is intended to build on the first. In large part this is a more innovative albeit controversial stage.
The Capital Creation Scheme
Tentatively scheduled to start in December 2003, the Thai government plans on introducing a new program to redefine or reclassify assets so that they carry the underlying legal rights or documentation necessary for collateralized bank loans. The program has an ambitious agenda including the reclassification of land assets, intellectual-property assets, machinery assets, public pavement and stalls assets and rental-right assets. The basic idea is to legalize different assets so that the owners can use them fully to get access to capital. This should be a particular benefit to poor or low income earners.
The basic idea underlying this program is not new, but instead one that has been advocated for years by Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto.[20] What de Soto has found is that most people in the developing nations hold defective forms of assets such as proprieties and stalls that lack the documentation or legal status that give them access to capital. Because the right to these possessions is not adequately documented, these assets cannot readily be turned into capital, cannot be traded outside the narrow local circles where people know and trust each other, and cannot be used for collateral for a loan. Apparently, the government aims to have the state-owned banks make available some 200 billion baht to support the next wave of loans arising from this asset-reclassification scheme.[21]
The question is whether this program will further help low income people or saddle them with more debt; and whether the program will have adverse financial consequences to the country in the long term. Will it jump start a large segment of the economy, formerly marginalized, or will it simply create a new round of non performing loans? If de Soto's examples from Peru and other countries are any indication, the project should be highly successful.
By one estimate[22] the Capital Creation Scheme in the next 6-7 years could convert at least US$10 billion of dead capital into pledgible capital and transfer US$10-15 billion worth of underground economy activities into the real economy.
Grand Project Schemes
In a break from grassroots-type projects and programs, the Thai government has been proposing a number of grand projects designed to create new regional centers of economic activity:[23]
* In January 2003 for example Thaksin announced a 28 billion baht ($650 million) plan to make the northern city of Chaing Mai an international aviation hub. The initiative aims to upgrade airport facilities and capacity to promote Chiang Mai as an alternative site to Bangkok for foreign trade and investment.
* Also in January 2003 Thaksin unveiled a 100 billion baht plan to transform the resort island of Pyhuket into a laboratory for high-tech research and development. The software industry is one of several export businesses the authorities hope will be centered here.
* In another major initiative, the government has recently resurrected centuries-old plans for cutting a canal through Thailand to shorten shipping routes between Europe and East Asia. The proposed project, including construction of two harbors, a monorail and a highway across the Isthmus of Kra would cost around $35 billion.
While EAEM model cannot serve as the sole basis for future growth, it's not clear that massive expenditures of this nature will necessarily come up with new services in which the country has a clear comparative advantage.
The Vayupak Mutual Fund Initiative
While the Capital Creation Scheme is aimed chiefly at reviving dead capital in the rural sector, a complementary new initiative, the Vayupak (named after a mythical bird that sometimes lays a golden egg—but other legends depict the avian creature as half-demon[24] ) introduced late in 2003 is focused on monetizing the dead capital held by the government. Estimates are that this initiative[25] has the potential to mobilize an additional several billion $US worth of excess liquidity from the banking system. In all, it could add US$7-8 billion or an additional 10% of the market capitalization of Thailand. -
go ahead and bash my PM.... he is human... he aint no king.. and sure as hell no god.....Originally posted by ChineseThai:
oh.. he is your king... not mine.... in case you didnt realise... he is a man... an old man... who as nature dictates... is destined to die.. from the day he was born...
then you will forget the old king... and starts worshipping your new king...
aint my freaking problem... isit?
by the way... do you remember the name of the previous king? and the one before him? and the one before him?
you probably have to search the net for those names.... well... its understandable... i dont even know the names of my great great great ancestor... do you?
therefore.. what is so damn great about a stinking skin bag.. as buddhist calls a human body ... aint all lives of equal value in the eyes of buddha? or as orwell's novels goes... some skin are more kingly then others?
wait... i sucks at buddhism... darn... i knew i should have pick that subject... -
Thanksin's going to china n then japan...
lets see the junta kpkb..