Reader Submission: Is Thailand doing well?
Tesco Lotus supermarket in Khon Kaen (kyozstorage_stock / Shutterstock.com)
Is Thailand okay? Results of a non-representative study, but nevertheless a glimpse into Thai society.
Bangkok Post reported some time ago that a majority of Thai people say they are mainly concerned about the high prices of daily groceries. Duan Dusit Rajabhat University had conducted a survey of 1172 people a week earlier. They were questioned about current political and socio-economic conditions.
What results did the research yield? The article reports the following figures: on an economic level, more than 6 out of 10 respondents thought the cost of living had become much too high. They would like to see the government curb price increases by now. Almost 4 out of 10 people indicated that they had debts and certainly had insufficient income to pay for expenses.
And nearly a quarter of respondents believed that Thailand is in recession and that the government needs to (re)gain the confidence of foreign investors and launch new stimulus programs. 1 in 6 respondents say they are afraid of unemployment and believe that the government should help create new jobs.
Finally, 1 in 7 people find the prices of agricultural products too low.
Politically, more than 4 out of 10 people say they are concerned about the way the government is handling the country's governance and developments in Thailand. People are unhappy with how politicians treat each other. More than 3 out of 10 respondents are concerned about corruption and would like to see strict budget controls. 1 in 7 thinks that a constitutional amendment should adhere to transparent moral guidelines, and 1 in 8 say that the government should implement its policy quickly to get political stability right.
On a social level, more than half of the respondents indicated that they find crime and violence a concern, and almost 1 in 3 the morality and ethics of people and society. Nearly a quarter are concerned about the floods and drought, 1 in 8 about drug use and street racing among young people, among other things. More than 1 in 9 believes that social media is being abused.
www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1745494/most-people-worried-by-high-cost-of-living-poll
In short: although not too many respondents and therefore not representative, the survey still gives the impression that "people" in Thailand are concerned about the cost of daily living, that the government must do something about the price rises, that there are debts , and fear of unemployment.
“People” are not too satisfied with the political state of affairs in Thailand either: politicians argue, do not treat each other in an exemplary manner, there is still corruption, and it is time for policy and political stability.
People are concerned about the high incidence of violence and crime, the drought and subsequent flooding, and there are concerns about how the Thai youth are faring.
Question: is the image as described above somewhat in line with how readers of this blog currently experience Thailand?
Submitted by RuudB
Recognizable but what is missing: the life-threatening traffic and great lack of discipline and courtesy on the road.
Dear Rob,
I don't know where you live and participate in traffic. But I don't agree with you. I am in traffic every day in Pattaya, usually on the motorbike taxi and I just find the Thai very courteous! They give each other space and don't honk.
The occasional kamikaze on the road is not image-defining, I think.
It is becoming increasingly quiet in Thailand.
This means that tourists will also find it too expensive .
Anyone who thinks that things are going well in Thailand can, as far as I am concerned, visit a psychiatrist.
The economy is deteriorating rapidly. The bars and restaurants are less than 25% full.
Reservations are no longer necessary.
Last Monday I was at 16:30 pm in the Makro in Hua Hin. It looked like a ghost store. At the checkout people were waving to pay. No cat in front of me in line and very easy to close. Parked in the exit.
The current government is destroying everything. Baht is kept artificially high (rich get richer).
Furthermore, everything indicates that they are expats. Welcome. Compare the conditions of residence with other SE Asian countries. With a stupid TM30 action at its best.
The prime minister advises the rubber farmers to start selling their rubber on Pluto, and he advises the inhabitants of the flood-ravaged Isaan to learn how to fish. With someone like that at the helm….
Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and even Myanmar are laughing up their sleeves.
Think a survey of readers of this newspaper and not among the Thai population.
So for me no value whatsoever, like many of these kinds of studies.
Explain why you think that? Facts are tough!
Dear Theiweert,
The Bangkok Post reported that a majority of Thais are concerned about the high prices "etc,,,,"
“Duan Dusit Rajabhat University had conducted a survey of 1172 people a week earlier,”
Why research from readers of this newspaper?
I experience a downturn in the economy caused by rapidly rising prices of living and no improvement in the many areas that the Prime Minister has repeatedly spoken of as boring and bombastic. Increasingly I get the feeling that the current government lacks any competence to improve matters, or is this on purpose? Government money is spent on military expenditures that seem to be aimed only at domestic disturbances (material type) and far too ambitious national infrastructure projects. The functioning of an expensive apparatus such as the police is very questionable, which is illustrative of the balance of power. I get the impression that the incumbent clique is afraid, afraid of the growing slumbering unease of the population. The answer to that is more and more repression, control of the media and controlling legislation. Striking, but not new, is the apathetic attitude of the majority of the population: your own circle, your own wallet, that's all, although it must be said that the media in their (controlled) programs, publications and reporting do not in the least invite a more critical attitude .
In short: Thailand has not become more fun for me and better for the population.
I totally agree with you, leppak. It is an excellent description of the current situation in Thailand.
I just disagree with you about the apathetic attitude of the population. Thailand has had many uprisings, riots and demonstrations in its history. I recently saw images of a demonstration led by the charming Bow on the Rachadamnoen against the many expensive purchases made by the army. Thai social media is full of criticism, irony and sarcasm, with Prayut in particular paying the price. But indeed, there is no real mass movement. Fear, not apathy, predominates.
Last Saturday I had a conversation with the owner of a building materials store near us, she also complained that it had been quiet for quite some time.
I told her 15 years ago when we started building here in Pasang I bought a bag of Chang Portland cement for around 90 baht at a Euro bath exchange rate of around 45 baht.
Now the bag of cement costs 130 baht at a Euro bath exchange rate of around 33.
At the Tesco Lotus, too, you can see that the refrigerated display window is decreasing. A complete back wall in the store is closed. Large posters of vegetables are pasted in the glass doors. The display window is full of pallets with water bottles and boxes of Chang and Leo beer.
This way you keep the store visually full.
My wife sometimes stands at the local market in the evening to sell fruit and vegetables from our plot.
And daily hears the lamentation of the villagers.
I am sure that the popularity of Prayut and his cronies is decreasing day by day among the Thai population.
A retired teacher couple in our village used to be anti-Taksin and pro yellow, now you hear them again.
Today a celebrity of Thai TV gave 1 million baht for the victims of the floods in the Isaan .
If you had to hear Prayut's reactions, you haven't heard anything yet, people are getting angrier and angrier.
The teacher who lives in our previous and now rented house and teaches in the evenings to around 13 children often has a hard time receiving her tuition, as the parents also have a hard time making ends meet.
Don't think it will be long before the lid flies off the kettle here.
Jan Beute.
There is no real mass movement.
That's right.
When they try to hold a meeting, they are immediately arrested.
There are many secret services here, with their ears and eyes around.
So people just keep quiet.
Ask a Thai how they feel about this government.
Then it's ststst, they keep their mouths shut.
Hans
That secret service, Hans, is probably the Isoc, the Internal Security Operation Command, the military arm of the military. Present in every province. The military still has the right to arrest anyone and hold them for a week without a court order.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_Security_Operations_Command
Dear RuudB,
This story has been going on since the military took over power in Thailand.
The last few years clearly show what Mr. 'Prayut' has now done.
I and that is clear to other people that Mr. Prayut has let the media know that
he expects to get 'more richer' people to Thailand because of (which is already happening) the economic
problems with this under the 'tavel.
Myself and I stand by my opinion that this government has absolutely no idea about economics.
I foresee: 'that the Bath will become even stronger and Thailand will go completely on its ass'
During my last visit to Thailand it was very quiet in the rainy season.
People no longer stand in line at a supermarket, horica is almost flat.
Too bad” but Thailand will now really have to do something about the Bath, relax visas
which will take away a lot of fiddling of controls and paperwork, people's frustration.
So RuudB, yes this is not a fable that was taken from Thailand.
Yours faithfully,
Erwin
Here in the Netherlands things get worse year after year, while in Thailand prices rise year after year and if the bath drops, it becomes impossible to pay for a current.
We just did a tour and we noticed it too... Kanchanaburi was still touristy in August... Chiang Mai wasn't too bad either... but Krabi... saw no tourists. …
Ko samui… we sometimes sat alone on the beach… really quiet…. Bangkok? Huge gap between rich and poor! Really striking... and my teenagers bought a skirt at H&M for more than 30 euros! Western things are becoming really expensive…hard rock cafe sweater 100 dollars euros
In Europe
50 dollars!
Well, tell a teenager that's too expensive
The country is really doing well. Tourist numbers far into the sky. The economy is booming, the gap between rich and poor is in a very healthy relationship, the fantastic general Prayut has brought peace and order, people are happy and say 'ISOC hasn't visited my neighbors yet, isn't it fantastic?' . Now there is a small blemish: the Illuminati supporters of that orange party who are out to destroy the country, I tell you. Conflating with dark foreign powers who want to destroy Buddhism. But we'll make those troublemakers disappear, don't worry.
The ordinary, the real Thai, is euphoric. Things have never been so good for the country. He praises the purchase of much-needed submarines, tanks, armored personnel carriers and fighter jets. That money is much better spent there than on nonsensical things such as a social safety net. Thailand is not the Netherlands! The Thais I speak to are very happy with this government, a true example of Thai-style democracy.
I could go on for hours with my jewel sermon (sarcastic? Me? Never...) but I'm going to buy a 2 by 1 meter portrait of General Prayut first.
A bit (very) sarcastic, but I see in daily life - I have been living in this beautiful country for more than three years - that people are satisfied to very satisfied with the state of the country. Lung Tu has more followers than you would expect. My partner also voted for him and is pleased that corruption is now being tackled on a large scale, which you could not say about the red shirts. In addition, investments are now being made in much-needed infrastructure like crazy and my residential region in the deep south is now thriving like never before with both government and private investments galore.
I consider myself lucky to live in this peaceful country and hope that Lung Tu will live his twenty years. The negatives can go to Cambodia or Vietnam. I wonder if she likes it better…
Dear Danzig, tackled corruption? General Prawit and his millions of baht worth of borrowed watches were dealt with severely. The minister of agriculture and his non-drug and non-fake diplomas were dealt with severely. After the coup, there were words of praise and some people were symbolically tackled. But the figures do not yet show a downward trend in corruption. Not by a long shot.
Bangkok Post January 2019 Corruption on the rise.:
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1619930/corruption-rises-in-thailand-global-watchdog-says
Annual corruption index: rising trend with a dip around the coup:
https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/corruption-rank
That is why happy citizens take to the streets with praise signs, earlier this week at Democracy Monument: https://www.facebook.com/584803911656825/posts/1604474823023057
The man's sign reads:
: หยุดปล้น! หยุดโกง! หยุดซื้ออาวุธ! หยุดทำร้ายประชาชนคนเห็นตๅ
My free translation: Long live Prayut! Long live the NCPO! Buy more armored cars! Thanks to the men in green, everything is going much better!
(Better translation: Stop the theft! Stop cheating! Stop buying guns! Stop attacking people with a different opinion!)
Dear Danzig,
Can you give a few concrete examples of corruption being tackled on a large scale?
Can you also indicate where if a silly is actually invested in infrastructure?
According to my partner, who is a civil servant himself, many improvements are visible on a small scale with regard to managers who no longer enrich themselves with government money as before, but the gel is now actually invested in many infrastructure works such as airports, highways, skytrain and metro. In addition, Thailand is rapidly modernizing and developing into a country that is economically barely inferior to the average "first world" Western country.
Although this development cannot be attributed 100 percent to Prayuth, as the strong man in Thailand, he has a share that should not be underestimated.