Trouble brewing in Thailand

[turbobloke]

Having failed to prevent growing protests at the military type gov't and its PM with use of water cannon and multiple arrests of protest leaders, measures are tightening including the shut-down of coverage by an online TV news channel. There are rumours of imminent social media blackouts and the possibility of a tougher military response on the streets. Some reporting from an Al Jazeera BBC sandwich follows.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/21/thailand...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-54598956

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/17/hundreds...

[milkround]

All the people want is democracy back.

Huge numbers are literally not able to feed themselves due to them letting zero tourists in.

[garagewidow]

milkround said:

.............not able to feed themselves due to them letting zero tourists in.........

I think that needs a slight rewording somehow

[phumy]

Its about time they had a good clear out, they normally have a coup around every 6 years or so, its about ripe for one now.

[dudleybloke]

And their king is not as popular as his father and is rarely in the country.

[turbobloke]

dudleybloke said:

And their king is not as popular as his father and is rarely in the country.

Student protesters are actively calling for restricted powers for the 'new' king, a form of criticism, which is brave/risky given Thai law.

[BlackLabel]

dudleybloke said:

And their king is not as popular as his father and is rarely in the country.

One gets the feeling he’s not your average King type figure - certainly not a suit and Thai person.

[turbobloke]

There are claims that those pics are photoshopped fake news, guess where from...

Things are hotting up. Students' petitioning of the German embassy couldn't be reported in any detail on Thai news due to the salacious content and Thai law. The monarch spends quite a bit of accompanied time in Germany.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/26/thai-par...

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/thailand-protests-pri...

[dudleybloke]

Apparently their king is staying in a German hotel until his new super-palace is built.
He's Thailands version of Louis XVI by the look of things.

[Mark V GTD]

The outlook for the Thai tourist industry does not look good at the moment with ministerial talk of a zero tolerance to covid with just one tourist testing positive will result in 'indefinite' closure of borders. With 20% of GDP relying, or rather used to rely, on tourism its hard to see a way forward with that policy.

[BigMon]

Vice News has some very good video articles on the student protests.

They are exceptionally brave young men and women. It's very eye opening.

[turbobloke]

BigMon said:

Vice News has some very good video articles on the student protests.

They are exceptionally brave young men and women. It's very eye opening.

Some student protest leaders were arrested for delaying the passage of the Queen who was travelling by road on one occasion during the protests.

Allegedly nobody had prior knowledge of the route and police didn't exactly clear it beforehand.

Reports say those arrested face 15 years' imprisonment, due to the nature of strict Thai laws regarding the Royal Family...which is one of the issues being addressed by the students.

[anonymous-user]

Mark V GTD said:

The outlook for the Thai tourist industry does not look good at the moment with ministerial talk of a zero tolerance to covid with just one tourist testing positive will result in 'indefinite' closure of borders. With 20% of GDP relying, or rather used to rely, on tourism its hard to see a way forward with that policy.

My understanding is that they were looking at opening tourist zones like Phuket but infections rose just before doing it. I think this is the likely way forwards but you’ll have to fly directly to them rather than transit through Bangkok.

If you want a laugh check out the draft Thailand visitor process.



https://www.godsavethepoints.com/thailand-90-day-t...

[Mark V GTD]

Wow - but thats hardly suitable for normal tourists who want to come for 14 days - by the time the quarantine is over its time to head back to the airport!

[turbobloke]

Pro-monarchy yellow shirt counter-protesters are now out and about, so far in smaller numbers.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/thailand...

[captain_cynic]

Mark V GTD said:

Wow - but thats hardly suitable for normal tourists who want to come for 14 days - by the time the quarantine is over its time to head back to the airport!

Tourism doesn't matter that much to the Thai economy as it's mostly manufacturing based. As a part of the GDP the UK gains more from tourism than Thailand (UK 10%, TH 6%). Add to that, the strong baht is pushing tourist further afield.

But this isn't a new thing. It's the same old thing that has been going on since 2008 with the poor rural vs the rich urban.

Considering the current Junta has been in charge since 2014 and has been promising elections next year ever since I doubt it's going to change any time soon.

Beyond that is it doesn't affect us anyway. Anyone with a modicum of knowledge of Thai culture understands that this is an internal affair and the imposition of Farang is neither wanted or needed. As long as we keep our noses out of it, we're safe as houses.

There's an old saying about Thailand, it's a club where you'll always be welcome but never be a member.

[anonymous-user]

captain_cynic said:

Tourism doesn't matter that much to the Thai economy as it's mostly manufacturing based. As a part of the GDP the UK gains more from tourism than Thailand (UK 10%, TH 6%). Add to that, the strong baht is pushing tourist further afield.

But this isn't a new thing. It's the same old thing that has been going on since 2008 with the poor rural vs the rich urban.

Considering the current Junta has been in charge since 2014 and has been promising elections next year ever since I doubt it's going to change any time soon.

Beyond that is it doesn't affect us anyway. Anyone with a modicum of knowledge of Thai culture understands that this is an internal affair and the imposition of Farang is neither wanted or needed. As long as we keep our noses out of it, we're safe as houses.

There's an old saying about Thailand, it's a club where you'll always be welcome but never be a member.

I think your tourism figures for Thailand look a bit low.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Thailand?...

The tourism downturn is definitely a big problem for Thailand especially to certain regions.

I expect it affects “us” all very differently depending on our backgrounds and families and loved ones where we live and work etc.

[captain_cynic]

El stovey said:

I think your tourism figures for Thailand look a bit low.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Thailand?...

The tourism downturn is definitely a big problem for Thailand especially to certain regions.

I expect it affects “us” all very differently depending on our backgrounds and families and loved ones where we live and work etc.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1143427/thailand-value-of-tourism-gdp/

This source says 5.6%, but that is really besides the point.

I've heard that the drop in tourism in a going to kill Thailand since about 2002... It's one of those predictions that has never come true because the Thai Economy hasn't been dependent on tourism in decades. Like ours, it's diversified enough that a significant drop in tourism isn't going to wreck the economy as a whole.

The thais have never really cared that much about tourism, they've always had a "it it happens, it happens" attitude. At the present time the fact that it's quickly becoming one of the more expensive destinations in SE Asia is going to hurt Thailand more in the long run. At 40 THB to the £ a lot of tourist will be looking elsewhere when the current crisis is over.

I doubt they're going to see a drop in numbers over this. It's been going on for years. If the protestors taking over BKK airport (back in 2651... 2008 for us Farang) didn't affect tourism that much I doubt this latest round will either.

[red_slr]

BlackLabel said:

dudleybloke said:

And their king is not as popular as his father and is rarely in the country.

One gets the feeling he’s not your average King type figure - certainly not a suit and Thai person.

Honestly, if I was ever King of a country this is how I would roll.

Wife(s) with poodle in one arm, me in a mankini and flip flops.

[Rivenink]

FYI: Thailand had an election in 2019... which didn't really change a whole lot as far as the Government composition goes, but technically Thailand is no longer under military rule.

This is also a fascinating article discussing changes in the power and influence structure of the Thai army : https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Asia-Insight/All...