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[asiawatcher]

thaisomchai, on 2010-05-21 16:36:53, said:

bigbossron, on 2010-05-21 13:02:09, said:

Maybe devaluate the bath?

I know you can take a bath but devaluate one?
This is a new one on me . .please explain.
And can you devaluate a shower too or just a bath?

I thought devalue the Baht was a start but devaluate the bath - I think this sounds like money laundering to me  

[Griffin09]

After all this noise about tourism declining, they still only gave me 15 days for a visa on entry today at Aranyapathet!

[hokibob]

as the world's economy is also facing turmoil and heading to catastrophy so be prepared for the worst and i believe thailand will be hit the hardest among asian countries...

[scotbeve]

Jingthing, on 2010-05-21 16:13:50, said:

Oberkommando, on 2010-05-21 15:09:57, said:

Quote

I did read in a Swiss Newspaper that there where not many People where changing away from Thailand and many Hotels in Phuket where fully booked.

That would be utter nonsense as most places in Phuket are currently empty.

Quote

However, the damage from the reds is easily a HUNDRED times more severe and long term than the airport incident.

Taking over and closing international airports causes far more damage to the economy than burning shopping malls and occupying downtown areas I'm afraid.

The reds might have kept tourists away from Bangkok but the PAD ensured nobody could come to Thailand at all.

It's a crying shame the PAD were not punished and obviously the red shirts saw that precedent.

You are not being honest at all. The airport event was short. There was not major destruction, gun battles, burning buildings. I can't respect opinions of people who don't face basic facts. The impact of this crisis is objectively MUCH MORE SEVERE than the airport event. The reds used that as an excuse, and they outdid themselves.

I believe there was a quote of something like Thai Airways alone lost (a very conservative number...) 500,000 M Baht for the airport fiasco. And the rest of the airlines, cargo??? AND the tourists that definitely won't be coming back after that?

[peter48]

Financial Times reported Thursday in a whole page devoted to Thailand's turmoil (despite all the violence shown on the world's TV screens) that Thailand's tiger economy is doing very well, that investors are reluctant to leave a good economic story and all the economic indicators on Thailand are looking impressive hence the Baht doing well. Lets hope things will return to normal and surely the Tourists will return in July/Aug.

[tfc]

Phuket seems like a ghost town in some areas at the moment.  Funnily the hotels I know that are doing the best are the ones that are part farang owned as they are willing to lower their prices to get people in beds.  The one I'm staying in only has 3 free rooms where as literally 2 minutes down the road a similar style hotel but with even less facilities has only one person in it but charges almost double and that person is moving to my place when he's done his time there.

[Thai at Heart]

DP25, on 2010-05-21 10:34:22, said:

Jingthing, on 2010-05-21 14:43:28, said:

15 to 20 percent of EMPLOYMENT is very significant. Even if half of those people lose their jobs long term (and that seems probable) that is a very big deal.

There is no way that number can be accurate.  They must be counting every single business that a tourist could possible go in to. Like every single restaurant, bar, store, and 7-11 in the country that a foreigner could walk in to.

If you take it from the point of view that 90% of the downtown area of many resorts exist purely to cater to tourists, I find that number completely believable.  Add in the high end shops and hotels and Bangkok that derive a large amount of their business from tourists, even more believable.  From the woman twiddling her thumbs waiting  for a customer to give a  foot massage in Pattya to the boiler operator in the Oriental the connections to tourism in this country are very broad.

If the total employment figure for the country is about 37mn, More than believable that there are 7 to 8mn people deriving an income connected to tourism in the country.  Don't forget, the reason the service in this place seems so good in comparison with elsewhere is that they can hire maybe 15 waitresses to 1 in the UK for the same cost.  

http://www.nationmas...iland/lab-labor

Edited by Thai at Heart, 2010-05-21 18:41:15.

[Johnny99]

jayjay0, on 2010-05-21 13:27:20, said:

On another note I see where they issued warrants for Thaksin's arrest on terrorism charges and three hours later took them back. That didn't take long. On the other hand they are being fair they are treating him the same as they did the yellow shirt leaders.

As another poster pointed out on a different thread - maybe it's because many countries would be reluctant to cooperate with extradition proceedings involving a fugitive wanted on capital offence charges. He may have a point.

[Thai at Heart]

CondomKing, on 2010-05-21 12:40:18, said:

jayjay0, on 2010-05-21 13:27:20, said:

On another note I see where they issued warrants for Thaksin's arrest on terrorism charges and three hours later took them back. That didn't take long. On the other hand they are being fair they are treating him the same as they did the yellow shirt leaders.

As another poster pointed out on a different thread - maybe it's because many countries would be reluctant to cooperate with extradition proceedings involving a fugitive wanted on capital offence charges. He may have a point.

Or equally likely the owners of Central looked at the small print of their insurance and noticed that 'Acts of Terrorism" aren't covered.

[YangYaiEric]

bigbossron, on 2010-05-21 09:02:09, said:

Maybe devaluate the bath?

Absolutely right there! The Thai Baht is WAY too strong for a country like Thailand. It should be on par with that of the Phillipinnes! I predict a 50% devaluation of the Baht quite soon!

[gemini81]

YangYaiEric, on 2010-05-21 19:37:22, said:

bigbossron, on 2010-05-21 09:02:09, said:

Maybe devaluate the bath?

Absolutely right there! The Thai Baht is WAY too strong for a country like Thailand. It should be on par with that of the Phillipinnes! I predict a 50% devaluation of the Baht quite soon!

maybe they manipulate the currency, like China does.

Edited by gemini81, 2010-05-21 19:47:02.

[JetsetBkk]

givenall, on 2010-05-21 12:12:33, said:

<snip>Taking the money away from the rich is the best punishment

Ah. So you're a red supporter after all.

[Netfan]

Well, if they are worried about tourism, they can always use these photos of Nathawut on holiday as an advertisement. oops-  the photos are of his "JAIL CELL" - guess those human rights folks will be complaining he doesn't have internet access.
http://www.oknation....0/05/21/entry-5

if these are for real, there are no words.....

Edited by Netfan, 2010-05-21 19:49:22.

[JetsetBkk]

Jingthing, on 2010-05-21 14:43:28, said:

15 to 20 percent of EMPLOYMENT is very significant. Even if half of those people lose their jobs long term (and that seems probable) that is a very big deal.

Shows also what lousy pay they must be getting if 6% GDP is earned by 20% of the workforce.

[pacman32]

khunya, on 2010-05-21 10:50:27, said:

Korn said: "Thailand is committed to making our democracy work. We believe that building on giving equal rights to all our citizens is essential to sustainable economic development in the long term."

The lesson from the political turmoil, he said, "might be that open, competitive, and relatively equal access to resources and opportunities is more important than the strict Western model of democracy."

What did this Thai finance minister was saying and what did he mean by "strict Western model of democracy."? He should have added that Thailand under power-that-be is committed to making our "thai style" democracy work by disregarding the votes of the poor and under educated. His statement was laughable. How can the country be open if
it doesn't respect the voices and the votes of ALL people? How these poor and working class people have equal access and opportunities if their voices are always being shut down by these "intellectuals" in Bangkok?

maybe they should have thought of that before they take their 200 baht for votes.......talk about selling their souls. i have seen this many times happening in the provinces and assume as the post gets more important then the cost of the vote goes up accordingly. seems to me most poor rural folks dont care who has the power just who pays the most and to be honest i cant really blame them as all parties seem the same.

as for some posters saying this is not as bad as last years airport fiasco then all i can say is from my view, last year it delayed my trips by 2 days and i then arrived and had a wonderful few months. this time, well i had my hotel booked in yasothon for bun bang fai on 7th of may but im still sat here in boring UK and not really sure when to go back. in fact im considering bringing the other half here for a holiday even though i hate it in England lol.

thai baht, well thats another story all together. sept 2008 i was getting 62 baht per pound in Samui last time i was there in oct-jan was lucky to get 50 then it dropped to 43 now 45 ish. that means on my £8000 budget im 136,000 baht down on a trip 2 years ago almost £3000, enough for my girlfriend to live for one year in thailand. it nullifies that cheap cost of living in LOS because we have already paid premium in exchange. i believe this will affect tourism as much if not worse than any trouble but cant see many families travelling there now because of risk of further trouble. yes the mongers will always travel but as their 1000/2000 baht nights become £50 plus pounds then even they may seek fresh pastures across the borders and how many families does that particular section of tourism support?

if it keeps going at this rate most tourists will be priced out of their hols and just go elsewhere. thailand is beautiful and i love the place but there are many other paradises to be found.

[JetsetBkk]

julemanden, on 2010-05-21 15:03:05, said:

AndyCapps, on 2010-05-21 12:52:10, said:

Nobody coming this monh, occupancy at 23% here in Bangkok,I willbe staying in HuaHin for thenext 2 weeks,wonder what its like their.

Hot and humid.... Some even say boring

Went there once. 'Nuff said.

[jucel]

Casuarina, on 2010-05-21 19:19:06, said:

peter48, on 2010-05-21 18:35:29, said:

Financial Times reported Thursday in a whole page devoted to Thailand's turmoil (despite all the violence shown on the world's TV screens) that Thailand's tiger economy is doing very well, that investors are reluctant to leave a good economic story and all the economic indicators on Thailand are looking impressive hence the Baht doing well. Lets hope things will return to normal and surely the Tourists will return in July/Aug.

No worries.
Thai King Tops List of World's Richest Royals With US$35B

http://www.foxnews.c...,408645,00.html

Loose change for him

Warren Buffett US$47B at world no 3

So, our majesty is world 4th richest.

I think you will find in reality the Queen of England is by far the wealthiest person in the world. She has unimaginable wealth. A LOT of things are not taken into consideration when compiling this data, for example the crown jewels etc etc. Plus she owns half of London!!

[jucel]

gemini81, on 2010-05-21 20:45:32, said:

YangYaiEric, on 2010-05-21 19:37:22, said:

bigbossron, on 2010-05-21 09:02:09, said:

Maybe devaluate the bath?

Absolutely right there! The Thai Baht is WAY too strong for a country like Thailand. It should be on par with that of the Phillipinnes! I predict a 50% devaluation of the Baht quite soon!

maybe they manipulate the currency, like China does.

of course they manipulate the currency + there must of been a repatriation of cash to fund recent activities. One more thing is that the baht is not a major currency and it has caps on the amount that can be traded per day. Also I think after the 1997 crisis, legislation was put in place to stop big hedge funds crippling the baht!

[PokerFace]

xminator, on 2010-05-21 15:01:48, said:

That Thailand is so dependent on tourism is a myth. Look at the Baht after years of unrest. Still going stronger.

As far as the US$ goes it's not the Baht getting or staying strong, it's the value of the US$ going down the drain everywhere.

[Sabre]

Jingthing, on 2010-05-21 15:18:14, said:

Exactly. For healing to happen on all sides, facts are going to have to be faced. And a basic fact is the recent events are indeed the most severe mess in modern Thai history, entirely DWARFING the airport event.

It would be nice if people attempted to make reference to some sort of empirical evidence or fact instead of relying on their own opinion as the highest source of truth.

[deepskyfreak]

jucel, on 2010-05-21 20:39:24, said:

gemini81, on 2010-05-21 20:45:32, said:

YangYaiEric, on 2010-05-21 19:37:22, said:

bigbossron, on 2010-05-21 09:02:09, said:

Maybe devaluate the bath?

Absolutely right there! The Thai Baht is WAY too strong for a country like Thailand. It should be on par with that of the Phillipinnes! I predict a 50% devaluation of the Baht quite soon!

maybe they manipulate the currency, like China does.

of course they manipulate the currency + there must of been a repatriation of cash to fund recent activities. One more thing is that the baht is not a major currency and it has caps on the amount that can be traded per day. Also I think after the 1997 crisis, legislation was put in place to stop big hedge funds crippling the baht!

Thailand also shouldn't have much of a deficit now. Exports still seem to be fairly unaffected but now little investment into equipment bought abroad. Maybe lots of money floing in from China in their attempt to further take over Thailand step by step... just as the Chinese did in Laos or Cambodia.

Edited by deepskyfreak, 2010-05-21 21:04:26.

[longtom]

Sabre, on 2010-05-21 20:55:13, said:

Jingthing, on 2010-05-21 15:18:14, said:

Exactly. For healing to happen on all sides, facts are going to have to be faced. And a basic fact is the recent events are indeed the most severe mess in modern Thai history, entirely DWARFING the airport event.

It would be nice if people attempted to make reference to some sort of empirical evidence or fact instead of relying on their own opinion as the highest source of truth.

How about the fact that the last high season was exceptionally good? Most tourists put the airport closure under chapter strike, that's a fact.  Blood and brains and on the streets of Bangkok however might have a longer lasting effect. Maybe the world will forget again soon but only if we don't get a guerilla war in the coming months.

[witold]

jucel, on 2010-05-21 20:33:49, said:

I think you will find in reality the Queen of England is by far the wealthiest person in the world. She has unimaginable wealth. A LOT of things are not taken into consideration when compiling this data, for example the crown jewels etc etc. Plus she owns half of London!!

You can only count what you have control over in wealth calculations.  Many things are labeled as belonging to the Queen *in name only*.  

This article estimates that she has 17B pounds *in trust* for the nation.  That means her actual wealth is less because of that 17B she can't sell or manage a good chunk of it.  

Richest monarchs are mostly from bigger 3rd world countries where they still have their monarch power and can control more of their nation's assets as their own.

[snaggletooth]

Oberkommando, on 2010-05-21 15:54:43, said:

Quote

The airport event was short. There was not major destruction, gun battles, burning buildings. I can't respect opinions of people who don't face basic facts.

The airport takeover cost billions. Who's not being honest with themselves here?

When you take over international airports then it affects other countries as well, not only causing irrevocable damage to the local economy in terms of reputation and trade but also confidence, as airports are seen as an untouchable area internationally, however in Thailand the government not only failed to act, the airport takeovers were rewarded with positions in the cabinet and other benefits.

Of course if the airport and Government house were not laid siege to by the PAD, the reds would not have taken over Rajaprasong as a result of that precedent.

Don't be mistaken, the PAD and the military having forced the country into its current predicament did irrevocable damage, long before the red-shirts were a force to be reckoned with.

Bangkok can rebuild its shopping malls, but the damage done to Thailand's reputation thanks to taking over an international airport will never be forgotten or repaired.

The point is the scenes of violence on the streets and anarchy with rioters burning down major landmarks leaves an indelible impression. The airport fiasco is long forgotten and the long term economic harm of this last demonstration will be felt for years to come. Watch how fast direct foreign investment in new factories dries up as a result. Tourism is  a drop in the bucket compared to that. And when people resort to burning down hotels and the second largest mall in Asia, nobody will want to invest here.

The red shirts shot themselves in the foot because it's many of their people that are employed in the factories that come here as well as in the tourist sector.

I for one will advise all of my friends to stay clear of this country because the rabid reds will spawn metamorphose into a terrorist organization. They've shown what savages they are.

[jucel]

At least they will not have to spend too much on changing the recent advertising. Im sure they could cobble the old advert to read ablazing Thailand from amazing Thailand