Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has just raised its travel advisory for Bangkok to the second highest level: “reconsider your need to travel”. The advice for the rest of Thailand remains unchanged. This is the list of other places for which the Department provides the same level of warning: D.R. Congo, Angola, Haiti, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Pakistan…
There is one further rung on the scale of warnings. It takes in these holiday destinations.
One wonders how the average People’s Alliance for Democracy trooper would react to this clear statement of concern from the Australian government. Perhaps they would applaud it, and what it means for the Somsak government’s efforts to stay in-charge.
It is hardly a vote of confidence for mainland Southeast Asia’s major trade, transit and tourism hub.
5 responses so far ↓
1 krid // Dec 1, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Somchai + Samak = Somsak?
Sondhi won’t care, he’s a nihilist pursuing a scorched earth policy, a deluded cult leader and proto-fascist. There has never been a political agenda of PAD beyond their anti-Thaksin meme, which is Sondhis own personal, selfish agenda. Everything else is secondary or non-existent, regardless of Thailand fast becoming a failed state.
2 Glenn // Dec 1, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Based on this things they write on their website, I would guess the average PAD person would tell you that it is the fault of the AoT, police, and PM that have caused this situation. It cannot be the PAD’s fault because they are good and pure and can do nothing wrong.
I hate those people so much right now. Please let me go home and so I can never come back!
3 David Brown // Dec 1, 2008 at 5:43 pm
actually I think Thaksin is just the stalking horse that the PAD use to convince people that participatory democracy is bad. He was rich and knew when to sell his business for a huge profit, very easy to be jealous of him…
The real objective they are paid to reintroduce is government by the Thai ruling families
Meanwhile I think Sondhi also has been running the protests to shore up his media businesses … apparently this worked in 2006 to the tune of B100M per month or so.
Sondhi recently went bankrupt n part of his clutch of companies and claimed he had given all his money to the PAD… but I keep trying to remind people that “bankruptcy is a rich persons way of avoiding his debts”… I assume he has already moved the worthwhile assets off shore.
4 Biyha Glanglom // Dec 2, 2008 at 7:29 am
In the land of smiles, people see things differently. To understand Thailand, one need a New English-English Dictionary of Thailand.
A
academic circle = a group of bias PhD. and professors who can’t think out of a circle.
adult = high authority
ashame = know no shame
authority = legalized mafia
B
bads = bad people by propaganda
Bangkok = see Krungtep
Burma = (1) Myanmar’s past, (2) Thailand’s future
C
compromise = (1) to yield, (2) to do what I want and you’ll be O.K.
D
democracy = dictatorship
democratic party = (1) dictatorship party, (2) upper-class party, (3) right-wing party
dictator government = a democracy government elected by majority
Don-Muang Airport = Government House
double standard = a common practice
E
educated, middle class, and elites = educated and uneducated people who support dictatorship
election fraud = a way to win an election by accusing the winning party of fraud
F
fair trial = trial by majority votes of the judges
freedom and justice for all = freedom and justice are distributed to all people unequally
free press = free propaganda
free speech = speechless
G
general = a god father
goods = good people by propaganda
government = a powerless entity if elected by majority
Government House = PAD’s Farm House
grassroots = educated and uneducated people who support democracy
guilty beyond any reasonable doubt = guilty with some doubts still
H
Human Rights Organization of Thailand = Right-wing Organizations of Thailand
I
independent organizations = coup-appointed organizations
invisible hands = the untouchables
J
judiciary system = a system without a jury
free judiciary system = depend on who will go free
K
Krungtep = see Thailand
L
land of smiles = land of lies
government lotto = unlawful lotto due to conflict of interest with the underground lottos.
M
majority of the people = minority who shout loudest
the media = the bias
medical doctor = one who practices medicine only to the people one’s care about.
N
news = same old things
NGO = When pronounced in Thai means stupid. However, it actually means a group of non-government organizations who ask for foreign moneys in the name of democracy to support dictatorship in Thailand.
O
one man one vote = a taboo speech that could put you in jail.
oracle = a political analyst
P
People Power Party (PPP) = Powerless Poor People (PPP)
People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) = People’s Alliance for Dictatorship (PAD)
Prime Minister = a prime suspect
poll = phony trend
Q
question = answer
R
red shirts = anti-coup, pro-elected-government, and pro-democracy groups
Rules of Law = Laws of Whom?
S
Sondhi = a Thai cult leader
cooking show = an illegal act if done by a prime minister
legal show = a legal act if done by a judge
suspect = guilty until you can prove yourself otherwise
T
Thailand = see Bangkok
Thaksin = (1) A universal blame for all nation’s problems, (2) A miracles cure to all nation’s problems.
30:70, 50:50, 0:100 = trial and error democrazy formulas proposed by PAD (e.g., 30% elected and 70% appointed).
U
UN = Unwanted Nations
V
vote buying = an excuse used by a political party when losing an election
W
why = (1) don’t ask, (2) unacceptable question, (3) pretend dumb
X
xxx = (1) a forbidden truth, (2) a naked truth, (3) an well-known political variable
Y
yellow shirts = pro-coup, pro-appointed-government, and pro-dictatorship groups
Z
zigzag = a direct way to power
5 bosunj // Dec 3, 2008 at 9:51 am
Aussies: Drunken mamma’s boys and overbearing screeching cows. Perhaps Bali is a better choice for you?
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